Central Counties Brown Trouser Moment!!
 

Central Counties ASU have had an interesting incident involving a main rotor scissor link becoming detached on landing. Brown trousers all around chaps??

Not had a lot of luck with their main rotor recently. Bet they can't wait to get their hands on the new machine.

Well done Stu!

A few seconds earlier could have made a big difference.

VH

I think Stu now lives in Canada.

FNW

FNW;

Stu is currently living in a state of relief and is a trainer for PremiAir.

VH

Any indication of why it all went wrong so soon after return from maintenance on the bits up top ?

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d1.../Coconutty.jpg

Apparently it has gone all the way to the top in Eurocopter. AAIB are involved.

Stu D went to Canada....this was Stu C

Is this the same EC135 that suffered a siezed swashplate bolt a couple of weeks ago and suffered a vibration in flight..........then taken back to maintenance base by truck to have swashplate parts repaired or replaced..............................:confused:

You would think the AAIB would ground the fleet if they thought it was a component issue and having net seen an SB as yet. All pointing in one direction.:=

Regardless of cause, glad they are ok.

No doubt it will all come out in the fullness of time.

Sounds as if Stu and the crew were very lucky...........

[You would think the AAIB would ground the fleet if they thought it was a component issue and having net seen an SB as yet. All pointing in one direction.:= ]
Yeah, and we pilots never make mistakes do we.

BUDGIE - AAIB investigate - they do not regulate

They have a tough job keeping the aircraft in the air when the parts fall off..;)

update
 

Any one got any idea how it all happened then and whats happend within ECUK:rolleyes:

ECUK have assured us that there will be a thorough and detailed investigation "no matter how ugly".

Last week 4 engineers were suspended pending interview with the AAIB.

I don't think we should second guess the AAIB - but I have a personal opinion! as discussed earlier if there was even a hint of mechanical failure then we would not be flying now - I would hope anyway!

I have heard a rumour that the control rods had to be disconnected during the track and balance. To allow one of them to be removed the scissor link nut needed to be removed - draw your own conclusions.

Is that fact or just conjectur?

Good job this is a rumour network or you might just have opened yourself up to a damned good court case. I'm quite sure the engineers involved might not see the funny side though!

Why would you remove a drive link nut during track and balance? Serious design floor there then!:ugh:You would have thought with 4 pitch change links and 2 drive links you would have at least 45 degrees of seperation between the various components.

As a 5 post man wombat45 are you just in for the 5hit stir?:rolleyes:

truth forum
 

"I'm quite sure the engineers involved might not see the funny side though!"

I'm sure the crew found it even funnier.

Its not about people losing there jobs but if they were at fault then !! (and there has been no SB or AD to say otherwise).

That'll be 5hit 5tirrer then!

Questions....
 

quichemech - are you an EC135 engineer ? - If not can anyone else answer - Does the Scissor link nut need to be removed to allow one of the ( pitch link ) control rods to be removed during tracking and balancing, as in the "rumour" mentioned by Wombat ??

BUDGIE - In your "Truth forum" post : I don't think anyone directly involved finds this to be funny, in the comical sense - Where did you obtain this "truth" about the engineers ? :rolleyes:

Final question, after return from maintenance for work on the rotor head, IF the Scissor link nut had not been refitted ( which seems to be the conclusion that Wombat might want to infer ), or had been refitted incorrectly, is this something that would be obvious during the pilot's pre-flight inspection ?

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d1.../Coconutty.jpg

Coconutty,

I do have a 135 ticket but have not used it for a few years, in a normal track and balance run you wouldn't have to disconnect any rods, they work as turnbuckles, you turn the rod and it moves on its threads to extend or retract thereby altering the pitch of the blade.

B.u.d.g.i.e

I quite agree that the crew would not find it funny, it must have been very worrying for them, especially as they had an incident the week before.
However to imply that the engineers concerned would find it funny is quite frankly insulting! Engineers take their profession very seriously, I would hazard a guess that you don't know many to make a statement like that.:=

The only time you would need to disconnect the pitch links during a Track and Balance was if you were zero-ing the blades to start from scratch, in this instance the scissor link would need to be disconnected to allow removal of the lower pitch link bolt.

From the information that I have this did not happen with this aircraft!


Coconutty:

IMHO, it would depend. IF it were missing then yes, I think it would have been noticed on the Check A. I am not really sure if/how you could incorrectly assemble it?

B.U.D.G.I.E:

I would agree with Quichemech, the implication of your post with regard to the attitude of engineers is indeed FAR below the belt, and frankly uncalled for.

It was not a direct dig at the engineers more a retorical comment in answer to the pervious post and has been edited accordingly. We will just have to see if wombat was right in the new year. But I am sure you would all agree that things like that need to be checked and double checked before taking it off the ground.

B.U.D.G.I.E:

Do you actually have any concept of the procedures applied during aircraft maintenance. Not company specific, but those laid down in the legislation????? :mad:

That is what a duplicate inspection is for hence its name.

Why edit your post? Is that recognising that your statement might have been a little unfair?

quichemech. Can I suggest that right now you take the opportunity to be quiet. You clearly have no idea what you are talking about. Wombat is right on the button.

Unless you were changing a blade or a worn PCL rod end there are very few reasons to remove or adjust the PCL's on a 135.

The rod ends are keyed to remain 90 degrees to each other.

Yes on 2 of the links you have to remove the swashplate drive links to remove the lower PCL bolts.

Luckily there are 2. Loss of one would not make a lot of difference. They can also be installed backwards!

Sounds as though the issue is not with the aircraft.

There has been nothing come out from ECD recently in the way of Safety Notices although no doubt there will along with the other gems like - please take off using both engines, please leave master on until engine stops to avoid incinerating engine, please understand how to use manual FADEC control, please understand TRAINING MODE, do not arm floats above 80 knots, don't fiddle with jettisonable door levers, be careful when dealing with flight controls having LH threads, don't fiddle with the FIRE (fuel valve) switches and guards, don't take off with the cyclic centring lock engaged (although by now you shouldn't be able to), etc etc. :ugh: :ugh: :=

I am sure that the poor guys at ECD really wonder about what customers do to their aircraft. Sometimes they even have trouble understanding what their own people do to them as well! :E

Purplepitot,

Your post intrigues me. How do you figure that Quichemech has no idea what he is talking about? And perhaps you could expand as to which part of what has been said is incorrect? Perhaps a little rusty on 135 knowledge (self confessed!) but other than being an engineer????? (maybe that's your objection?)

Also, what information do you have to know that WOMBAT45 is "right on the button"? Perhaps you could share that with everyone or maybe even apply for a job with the AAIB!!!!

quichemech and whysas - Wombat is right on the money. Take the hint. The AAIB will publish in due course.

20 minuter,

I await what the AAIB have to say in due course when it is published for those of us not involved, no doubt they will be able to make a reasoned judgment on what actually occurred. You obviously have more information on what actually happened than I do, I've only read what has been posted on here.

WhySAS,

Thanks, yes I'm very rusty on the machine, must be 3 plus years since I've worked on one.

Yes and no. The main job of these scissor links (as on any helicopter with MR swashplates) is to fix the rotating swashplate to the mast so that the whole assy turns as one. As RVDT is saying, if one link becomes detached for any reason, the other one will keep the swashplate fixed and rotating with the mast. The lower attachment nut on this link (the one I believe is the subject of this thread) even has a large cupped washer behind it to prevent the link completely detaching from the swashplate should the links lower bearing fail and come out of its outer race. Obviously, the washer and nut have to be fitted for this to happen.
This doesn't mean that single link detachment wouldn't be noticed in the cockpit.......in the Central Counties case, unusual vibration. Some helicopters only have one link, the EC135 has two. I would say that this was for a reason. Although the one remaining attached link would keep things together for a time..... factor in vibration, existing wear in the components and control input forces, and who knows what could happen??

For all you pilots who are now paying extra attention to the swashplate links on your Daily Inspections....the links are fitted the correct way round if the lettering is on the outward face of the link :ok:

The AAIB report will be an interesting one. If Wombats comments and the word on the street are 'on the button', then all the subsequent flight tests and the positioning flight from ECUK, as well as any operational flights at Central Counties were carried out with something 'amiss'.

Tomorow is just another day
 

How long would the AAIB investigation into an incident like this take, before some factual information is published ?

Presumably the maintenance company will also be conducting, or have conducted, their own investigation and will be letting their customer know their findings "soon" ;)

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d1.../Coconutty.jpg

Rumour has it full report due out soon and it points to human error!