QUICK SEARCH:
 
News
Aviation International News
Airshow & Convention News
AIN Defense Perspective
AIN Air Transport Perspective
Business Jet Traveler
AINalerts
AINmxReports
AINtv
AIN Blogs

Look inside Current Issue

SUBSCRIBE NOW...

SPECIAL REPORTS

Bizav Web Directory
Visit our directory of manufacturers, suppliers and service providers

Issue Archives
Search through years of
AIN past issues


CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Search through the latest
events and conferences



REPRINTS

RSS Feed



S-92 Crew Reported “Zero” MGB Oil

Minutes before a Cougar Helicopters Sikorsky S-92 fell into the Atlantic March 12, one of the pilots radioed that the helicopter had “zero” main gearbox (MGB) oil pressure. Two pilots and 16 offshore oil workers were aboard the helicopter when it either crashed or ditched 47 miles East of St. John’s Newfoundland. The S-92 was 40 minutes into a flight outbound to the Seas Roses and Hibernia platforms when the crew declared an emergency and turned back to shore. Eight minutes later it entered the water. One survivor and one body were recovered. The other 16 are missing and presumed dead.

The main wreckage was located in 360 feet of water and salvage crews were optimistic that they could raise it intact and recover the flight recorders. The six-mile long debris field included one sponson, several doors and an interior bulkhead, suggesting that the S-92 impacted the water at a high rate of speed. A rescue plane over the scene 25 minutes after the crash reported seeing the fuselage floating inverted.

This is the second crash of an S-92 and the first likely caused by a mechanical failure. However, several S-92 operators have reported MGB problems including overheating and loss of oil pressure. This included a near-ditching of a Norsk Helicopters S-92 after an MGB oil pump failed. Since 2005, the FAA has issued several Airworthiness Directives covering the S-92’s MGB scavenge pumps and housing assembly, main transmission assembly mounting bolt, shaft and bearing assembly and tail gear box output housing.

Back

Share This Article With Others

Tweet thisDigg thisRedditBookmark on deliciousStumble thisShare on FacebookFave on Technorati

Related Articles

Settlement Reached in 2008 Learjet 60 Crash
November 19, 2009

A settlement has been reached in one of a number of lawsuits stemming from the September 2008 crash of a Learjet 60 in which Adam “DJ AM”...

 
NTSB Asks for More Oversight of Public Helo Ops
November 17, 2009

The NTSB has issued another set of recommendations regarding helicopter emergency medical service (EMS) operations, this time highlighting...

 
K3 Releases Animation of US Airways Ditching
November 12, 2009

K3 Resources has released a compelling animation of the January 15 US Airways Flight 1549 ditching in the Hudson River, including views of bird...

 
TSB Critiques CBAA Oversight in 2007 Accident
November 12, 2009

Canada’s Transportation Safety Board (TSB) yesterday released the final report on the landing accident of a Bombardier Global 5000 in Fox...

 
Turbulence Caused Mexican Learjet 45 Crash
November 05, 2009

Mexican Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (DGAC) investigators on Tuesday said that turbulence from a Boeing 767-300 caused the Nov. 4,...