Following the fatal crash of an Airbus Helicopters H225 in Norway on Friday, the EASA has issued an emergency AD for the EC225LP/H225, requiring inspections of three suspension bars (lift struts) located around the main rotor assembly before any further flight. The chip detectors of the main gearbox, as well as the oil filter, also must be checked for absence of metallic particles.
According to the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), detection and identification of such particles could have prevented the 2009 fatal accident of an AS332L2 Super Puma, when the main rotor separated in flight. The third step of the mandated inspection for the EC 225LP/H225 is for those equipped with the M’Arms vibration health monitoring system to download data and check for any threshold exceedance.
The Norwegian Accident Investigation Board (AIBN) yesterday ruled out “human error on board.” Airbus Helicopters said the cause should therefore be looked for in design, production or maintenance. After preliminary examination of the vertical shaft that drives oil pumps, the airframer believes the cause is different from the issue that caused two serious incidents in 2012—a problem since solved.