Where now?
 

... so where do we go from here?

Both Puma and S92 have had catastrophic MGB problems since 2009. Then there were the non fatal bevel gear and associated problems. Ditchings due to false alarms in the back up lube systems etc. Hell it's not like the industry hasn't tried to improve this.

Todays news could hardly be worse.

If the Puma ends here does AH have enough comnercial incentive to design an "all new" replacement?

How can we ensure that redesigns don't create problems of their own?

This is now an industry in need of some serious technical leadership.

I'm thinking of setting up a new business renting out rowing boats.

But as I've said before, helicopter flying is a bit dangerous, get over it. Using the roads, drinking and smoking, eating too much are far more dangerous. Why don't you care about that?

I agree, but that assume you have information that the gearbox was changed as claimed?

May I ask how you know that for sure?

UK CAA extends grounding
http://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/33/...ve2016003..pdfSo that now includes SAR

airsound

Thanks. It's a bit dangerous. I'm over it now.

I bet your name is Will, and next you're gonna tell us to get "our big boys pants on"...wonder if Mr. Barbier regrets that he even got out of bed that day. But then again, people like that seldom care about other peoples feelings.

Oil workers were told to put on 'big-boy pants' at safety meeting before Shetland helicopter crash | Daily Mail Online

If you're even a offshore helicopter pilot...some of the things you say here tells me you 're probably not...with the mockery and ridicule of peoples fear and concerns. Not a nice attitude for sure.

Does anybody know what the reliability programme contains in relation to this epicyclic failure?
The reliability programme should identify individual gearbox constituent component parts that fail inspection during overhaul in the strip report.
Surely there's a failure rate of this planetary gear identified in the reliability programme, if not why not on such an important critical component as a gearbox?

CHC held press conference
 

CHC-sjefen: - Vi har ikke tilgang til girkassen - Bergens Tidende

Short summary
Gearbox changed in January:

Ny girkasse i januar

- Vi følger et vedlikeholdsprogram som tilsier at girboksen etter 4400 flytimer sendes til en leverandør som utfører vedlikehold, sier Roland videre.

Girboksen på ulykkeshelikopteret ble installert i januar. Under vedlikehold blir enkelte deler utbedret, mens andre blir skiftet helt ut.

Roland vil ikke svare på om planetgiret, som ifølge Havarikommisjonen er utsatt for tretthetsbrudd, ble skiftet ut i januar.

- Jeg kan ikke gå inn på spesifikke opplysninger om de ulike delene.


English:

"We are following a maintenance program that demands that the gearbox after 4400 hours is sent to a supplier that performs maintenance, says Roland further.

The gearbox on the the accident aircraft was installed in January.
During maintenance some parts are improved, others are completely changed

Roland does not want to answer if the planetary gear, that according to AIBN
is exposed to fatigue crack, was changed in January.

- I cannot go into specific information about the different parts."



So from this it becomes clear that the "new" gearbox installed in January
also could be an old one with some changed parts, which makes it clear, to me, we are not speaking about a brand new unit.

If the same unit that was removed from LN-OJF, sent to maintenance and
sent back to CHC after the maintenance. Is not clear.

It is also not clear who is doing the maintenance. But I have my suspicions.
May it be also a matter of investigation what exactly was changed in the gearbox or not

It's already in the pipeline: the X6, although a few years away still.
http://www.airbushelicopters.com/web...ess/_1771.html

There would be no oil "in" the epi. The oil is sprayed into the box (obviously) and drains to the sump. So, no, there would be no oil to "contaminate". Even if there was any debris in the oil, there's the oil filter and chip detectors to contend with

It is reported in the media now that the gearbox was subject to some "unkind" treatment during transport, was damaged and had to go back for repairs before the installation in January.

Do you have a link to the source ?

Perhaps something "real time" like

http://www.gastops.com/products/metalscan/ms-1000/

Where has the report of 'unkind treatment' come from? and seems odd that this has not been mentioned in any reports?

When Bristow was developing its IHUMS system back in the early 90s they trialled such a full flow debris monitoring system, however it was deemed ineffective and dropped from the programme, although I can't remember exactly why.

I also remember trials in the military in the 90s that weren't too successful by I believe the new generation kit is being used successfully on the Merlin, F35 and some other platforms.

Most of the measures to check oil quality so far amount to a slightly higher tech version of scraping the oil off the magnetic plug and rubbing it between a finger and thumb and cutting open the oil filter to check for bits of debris.

Newer methods of real time, in flight, monitoring need to be developed. Doubtless this will lead to more alarms and precautionary landings, but it is better than the alternative.

The idea of irradiating components and then monitoring filters and plugs for the build up of radioactive particles due to wear has some merit, but I'm not sure environmentalists or even passengers and crew would be entirely happy.

I don't imaging that the engineers or o/h shop would be too please with irradiated components either

The Gearbox overhaul was performed by Heli One

Good old Chris and Will sensible voices in a world of confusion, anyone know what they are doing now?