ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 169666
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| Date: | Wednesday 27 September 1995 |
| Time: | 07:30 UTC |
| Type: |  Aerospatiale AS 332L Super Puma |
| Owner/operator: | Bond Helicopters |
| Registration: | G-PUMH |
| MSN: | 2101 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1983 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 17 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Location: | North Sea -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Offshore |
| Departure airport: | Aberdeen (ABZ/EGPD) |
| Tiffany Offshore Installation | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The helicopter departed Aberdeen for a flight to the Tiffany Platform, 136 nm to the north-east, with the first officer as the handling pilot. While cruising at 3,000 feet amsl and 120 knots, there was a sudden onset of severe airframe vibration The commander diverted to Longside Airfield where the helicopter landed. The cabin PA system failed in flight due to vibration. The 15 passengers and two crew were evacuated without injury.
Subsequent examination of the helicopter revealed that a tail rotor blade flapping hinge retainer had fractured on one side.
The investigation identified the following causal factors:
(1) Maintenance inspections conducted over a period prior to the incident flight did not detect a developing surface crack in the Blue tail rotor blade flapping hinge retainer, despite additional work on the associated tail rotor drive shaft assembly to rectify a tail rotor vibration problem, which was detectable as a trend recording within the Health and Usage Monitoring System some 50 flying hours previously and was the subject of an associated alert five hours before the incident.
(2) The undetected fatigue crack extended during the flight, fracturing one side of the flapping hinge retainer and causing excessive and potentially critical tail rotor vibration.
(3) The fatigue crack had been initiated by fretting and corrosion of the flapping hinge retainer bore induced by abnormal cyclic loading of the retainer, which was attributed to the effects of a defective flap needle-roller bearing during some previous period of the tail rotor drive shaft's life.
(4) The inspection provisions within the aircraft Maintenance Manual and associated Maintenance Requirements did not specify periodic visual inspections of such retainers, since they had been designed and certified on a "safe-life" basis.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://assets.digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk/media/5422eef1e5274a1317000253/2-1998_Aerospatiale_AS332L_Super_Puma_G-PUMH.pdf
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 10-Sep-2014 07:49 | Aerossurance | Added |
| 14-Aug-2015 11:52 | Aerossurance | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 10-Oct-2015 21:52 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Departure airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 10-Oct-2015 21:59 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Destination airport, Embed code] |
| 08-Mar-2017 16:45 | TB | Updated [Location, Destination airport, Source] |
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