ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 195133
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| Date: | Saturday 29 April 2017 |
| Time: | 12:40 LT |
| Type: |  AgustaWestland AW139 |
| Owner/operator: | Abu Dhabi Aviation |
| Registration: | A6-AWN |
| MSN: | 41213 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2009 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 5631 hours |
| Engine model: | Pratt & Whitney PT6C-67C |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Arabian Gulf, 8nm off Mubarraz Island, off Abu Dhabi -
 United Arab Emirates
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Offshore |
| Departure airport: | Dhabi II Offshore Installation |
| BUNDUQ Offshore Installation | |
| Investigating agency: | GCAA |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
An AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter, registration A6-AWN, departed Abu Dhabi International Airport, with two flight crewmembers and five passengers, for Dhabi II oil rig, located 33 nautical miles (nm) off the coast of Abu Dhabi in the Arabian Gulf. Four passengers disembarked after arrival at Dhabi II at 1231 LT, and the aircraft continued towards oil rig BUNDUQ, approximately 78 nm further north-west.
One minute into the climb after departing from Dhabi II, the flight crew received a high oil temperature warning for the main rotor gearbox (MGB) at approximately 490 feet (ft). The observed oil temperature was 109°C, when the commander discontinued the climb and selected to descend to 500 ft. This action was taken to reduce power and the load on the MGB and was advised in the quick reference handbook (QRH). The flight crew decided to divert to the closest heliport, on Mubarras Island, 18 nm from Dhabi II.
Because the oil temperature continued to increase, the commander decided to descend to 200 ft in preparation for a possible ditching. While descending through 210 ft, and with an oil temperature of 119°C, the flight crew heard a loud grinding noise emanating from the gearbox area. The commander followed the instruction in the QRH and decided to ditch the aircraft.
The crew activated the aircraft flotation system prior to touchdown, and the inflated bags kept the aircraft afloat during the evacuation of all occupants into the life raft, from where they were rescued by the coast guard. As the left aft float slowly deflated, the Aircraft started to tilt and capsize.
The investigation identified that the causes of the deflation were a tear of the bag fabric and seam delamination. It was identified that the in-flight activation of the flotation bags was not compliant with the certification of the aircraft’s flotation system, which caused the deployed float cover to fragment. The remains of the float cover probably caused a tear to the aft left flotation bag. The investigation also identified that many flotation bags did not pass inflation tests during regular shop visits because of seam problems.
The Investigation further identified that the MGB oil temperature increased because the MGB oil cooling fan failed due to bearing damage, which resulted in the loss of airflow through the oil cooler. As a result of the accident, the aircraft manufacturer issued initial instructions and additional maintenance tasks for the early detection of MGB oil cooling fan failures.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/594100-ada-aw139-ditched.html
http://www.thenational.ae/uae/investigation-into-helicopter-ditching-off-abu-dhabis-mubarraz-island
http://aerossurance.com/helicopters/ada-aw139-a6awn-ditching-2017/
https://gcaa.gov.ae/en/ePublication/admin/iradmin/Lists/Incidents%20Investigation%20Reports/Attachments/106/2017-2017-%20Preliminary%20Report,%20AAIS%20Case%20AIFN-0004-2017,%20A6-AWN.pdf
http://aerossurance.com/helicopters/aw139-a6awn-ditching-uae/
https://www.gcaa.gov.ae/en/ePublication/admin/iradmin/Lists/Incidents%20Investigation%20Reports/Attachments/118/2017-2017%20-%20Final%20Report,%20AIFN-0004-2017,%20A6-AWN%20Accident.pdf
Media:
ADA #Leonardo #AW139 #Helicopter A6-AWN Ditching off #UAE, 29 April 2017: #GCAA #AAIS Final Reporthttps://t.co/pEqw4sCTzs#airworthiness #flightsafety pic.twitter.com/MSHyUrhels
— Aerossurance (@Aerossurance) February 14, 2019
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 01-May-2017 13:44 | Aerossurance | Added |
| 17-May-2017 09:14 | Aerossurance | Updated [Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 12-Jun-2017 19:06 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source] |
| 12-Jun-2017 20:10 | Aerossurance | Updated [Destination airport, Narrative] |
| 06-Feb-2019 11:07 | harro | Updated [Narrative, Accident report, ] |
| 09-Feb-2019 15:49 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source] |
| 14-Feb-2019 14:46 | Aerossurance | Updated [Embed code] |
| 05-Dec-2023 15:11 | harro | Updated [Other fatalities, Embed code, Accident report] |
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