Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs

Part M, Part 145

Yuma Hawk Accident: Lessons on Ex-Military Aircraft Operation

Accidents & Incidents, Airfields / Heliports / Helidecks, Design & Certification, Fixed Wing, Human Factors / Performance, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Military / Defence, Regulation, Safety Management, Special Mission Aircraft

A US fatal accident with an ex-Korean Hawk, operated by a defence contractor, highlights some of the issues of civil use of ex-military aircraft.

Yuma Hawk Accident: Lessons on Ex-Military Aircraft Operation Read Post »

Carrier Arrestor System Maintenance Errors

Accidents & Incidents, Fixed Wing, Human Factors / Performance, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Military / Defence, Safety Culture, Safety Management

Carrier Arrestor System Maintenance Errors Eye watering video has emerged of a mishap on the US aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) in the Atlantic on 18 March 2016.  The 1½-inch-thick steel arrestor wire failed during the landing of a Northrop Grumman E-2C Hawkeye and during the go-around the E-2C drops out of sight below

Carrier Arrestor System Maintenance Errors Read Post »

For Rotors Grease is the Word

Accidents & Incidents, Helicopters, Human Factors / Performance, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Safety Management

For Rotors Grease is the Word We look at two helicopter accidents (one fatal) where grease, and in particular the absence of grease, were critical factors. Case 1: AS355F1 N58020 15 September 2012, New Jersey (One Fatality) The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report that, Airbus Helicopters AS355F1, N58020 operated by charter operator Analar Corporation was making a positioning flight

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NTSB Report on C208B Caravan Ditching, Molokai, Hawaii, 2013

Accidents & Incidents, Fixed Wing, Human Factors / Performance, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, News, Offshore, Safety Management, Survivability / Ditching

NTSB Report on C208B Caravan Ditching, Molokai, Hawaii, 2013 The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report on confusion over the applicable engine Instructions for Continued Airworthiness (ICA) and ditching procedures in a fatal 2013 accident in Hawaii. Cessna 208B Caravan N687MA, operated by Makani Kai Air, ditched off off Hawaii on 11 December 2013,

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Rotor Blade Tool Control FOD Incident

Accidents & Incidents, Helicopters, Human Factors / Performance, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Safety Management

Rotor Blade Tool Control FOD Incident (Western Australia Police Air Wing Airbus AS365N3 VH-WPX) The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has just issued a report on an incident where a helicopter’s rotor blades were damaged during start up by Foreign Object Debris (FOD), namely a tool that had been left behind from earlier maintenance. The Incident Flight

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UK AAIB: Boeing Safety Responses ‘Not Adequate’

Accidents & Incidents, Design & Certification, Fixed Wing, Human Factors / Performance, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Safety Management

UK AAIB: Boeing Safety Responses ‘Not Adequate’ Six months ago we published an article that discussed the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report into a serious incident involving a Boeing 747-443 G-VROM on 29 December 2014.  AAIB has recently published an update on responses to their recommendations by Boeing.  Two were classed ‘Not Adequate’, one ‘Partially Adequate’

UK AAIB: Boeing Safety Responses ‘Not Adequate’ Read Post »

UKMFTS Rotary Wing Aircraft Service Provision Contract Awarded

Design & Certification, Helicopters, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Military / Defence

UK Military Flying Training System Rotary Wing Aircraft Service Provision Contract Awarded In the second major UK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS) contract award this year, Airbus Helicopters has won the contract to provide training helicopters for the RAF, Royal Navy and Army Air Corps until 2033.  Airbus will supply and maintain 29 H135s (to be given the UK military name Juno) and three

UKMFTS Rotary Wing Aircraft Service Provision Contract Awarded Read Post »

Offshore Helicopter Safety Performance: 2016 HeliOffshore Conference Report

Accidents & Incidents, Crises / Emergency Response / SAR, Design & Certification, Helicopters, Human Factors / Performance, HUMS / VHM / UMS / IVHM, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Offshore, Oil & Gas / IOGP / Energy, Regulation, Resilience, Safety Culture, Safety Management, Survivability / Ditching

We report from the second HeliOffshore Conference and AGM on commitment and collaboration to improve offshore helicopter safety.

Offshore Helicopter Safety Performance: 2016 HeliOffshore Conference Report Read Post »

Bell 412 Cross Tube Failure Case Study

Accidents & Incidents, Design & Certification, Helicopters, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Safety Management, Special Mission Aircraft

Bell 412 Cross Tube Failure Case Study Earlier this year the German accident investigation agency, the BFU, published their report into Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) Bell 412HP that suffered a rear cross tube failure during start up at a hospital in Berlin on 6 September 2010. The helicopter was fitted with ‘high’ skids manufactured by Aeronautical Accessories Inc

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EC225 Main Rotor Head and Main Gear Box Design

Accidents & Incidents, Design & Certification, Helicopters, HUMS / VHM / UMS / IVHM, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, News, Offshore, Oil & Gas / IOGP / Energy, Safety Management

EC225/H225 Main Rotor Head and Main Gear Box Design (CHC LN-OJF Fatal Accident 2016) Following the recent tragic accident at Turøy near Bergen, Norway involving CHC Airbus EC225/H225 LN-OJF there is a lot of interest in the Main Rotor (MR) and Main Gear Box (MGB) design of the EC225.  Here we provide some background information on the

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A319 Double Cowling Loss and Fire – AAIB Safety Recommendation Update

Accidents & Incidents, Design & Certification, Fixed Wing, Human Factors / Performance, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Regulation, Safety Management

A319 Double Cowling Loss and Fire – AAIB Safety Recommendation Update The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has issued an update on responses to their safety recommendations from their investigation into British Airways Airbus A319 G-EUOE.  G-EUOE, powered by IAE V2500s, lost both engine fan cowlings and suffered an associated fire on take-off from London Heathrow

A319 Double Cowling Loss and Fire – AAIB Safety Recommendation Update Read Post »

C-130 Fireball Due to Modification Error

Accidents & Incidents, Design & Certification, Fixed Wing, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Military / Defence, Safety Management, Special Mission Aircraft

C-130 Fireball Due to Modification Error A botched modification program unnecessarily changed the original design for a hydraulic system modification when a drawing was misread.  A longer hydraulic hose was necessary after that change but an inappropriate design process short-cut meant the shorter hose remained listed as an alternative.  The shorter hose was fitted to the modified fleet

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Forgotten Fasteners – Serious Incidents

Accidents & Incidents, Fixed Wing, Human Factors / Performance, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Safety Management, Special Mission Aircraft

Forgotten Fasteners – Serious Incidents We examine three incidents where fasteners were forgotten during maintenance.  It two cases these maintenance errors resulted in parts falling from the aircraft.  In a third, a massive fuel leak occurred. Incident 1 – Twin Otter Mission Pod The Irish Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) has recently reported on a

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Misrouted Engine Fuel Control Cable Hawker 800XP

Accidents & Incidents, Business Aviation, Human Factors / Performance, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Safety Management

Misrouted Engine Fuel Control Cable Hawker 800XP In Issue 4/2015 of TP 6980 – Canadian Aviation Service Difficulty Reports – Feedback an maintenance error involving a Hawker 800XP fuel control cable is reported: During a planned major structural inspection, the technician noticed that the no.1 engine high-pressure fuel lever cable was trapped under the cover of the electrical junction

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Pitot Punctures Floats in Icelandic SAR Ditching

Accidents & Incidents, Design & Certification, Helicopters, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Offshore, Safety Management, Special Mission Aircraft, Survivability / Ditching

Pitot Punctures Floats in Icelandic SAR Ditching The ditching of Icelandic Coast Guard Aérospatiale SA365N Dauphin TF-SIF in the Atlantic off Reykjavik on 16 July 2007 highlights the importance of avoiding protuberances that can puncture emergency flotation systems, careful configuration management and establishing emergency drills. The Icelandic Transportation Safety Board (ITSB), the RNF, issued their report in

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First Eleven: Guidance for Designers on Maintenance Human Performance

Design & Certification, Fixed Wing, Helicopters, Human Factors / Performance, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Safety Management

First Eleven: RAeS Guidance for Design Organisations on Maintenance Human Performance The Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) Human Factors Group: Engineering (HFG:E) has published a short guidance document on 11 steps an aviation Design Organisation (DO) can take to “deliver safer, more effective and reliable aircraft through improved design for maintenance”. The RAeS say: Aircraft safety

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Ignoring Corrosive Environment Brings Down B206 Helicopter

Accidents & Incidents, Helicopters, Human Factors / Performance, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Regulation, Safety Management, Special Mission Aircraft

Ignoring Corrosive Environment Brings Down B206 Helicopter An operator that ignored the Rolls-Royce M250-C20 Series Engine Operation and Maintenance Manual classification of their entire island operating location as a “severe corrosion operating environment” and failed to do the associated maintenance requirements suffered the loss of the their Bell 206B3. Emerald Pacific Airlines B206B3 B-31019 was hovering at

Ignoring Corrosive Environment Brings Down B206 Helicopter Read Post »

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