Aviation authorities in New Zealand and Australia grounded all of the nearly 600 Robinson R44 helicopters based there fitted with stainless-steel main rotor blades (P/N C016-7) following the fatal crash of an R44 in New Zealand's Lochy River Basin on Thursday. New Zealand's civil aviation authority has made informal and preliminary findings that the crash near Queenstown happened whenthe helicopter’s main rotor blade failed, possibly after delaminating.
The New Zealand CAA said it ordered the grounding to "prevent the possibility of main rotor blade separation and consequent loss of the helicopter.” Its action was quickly followed by Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). Approximately 80 R44s are based in New Zealand and 485 are in Australia. The Australian action allows ferry flights to service facilities only after a detailed aircraft inspection.
Citing previous delamination incidents, the U.S. FAA imposed life limits on certain R22 and R44 stainless-steel blades late last year (AD 2014-23-16) and required daily inspections and replacement within five years. The FAA AD affects 1,290 R22s and 1,353 R44s on the U.S. registry. Robinson is offering a 50-percent discount on replacement blades mandated by the AD.