Copterline Files $60 Million Suit For Deadly 2005 Crash
Finnish company Copterline filed a suit in a New York City
federal court just before Christmas naming Sikorsky Aircraft
Corporation as defendant. Copterline is seeking $60 million in
damages over an August 2005 crash which
claimed 14 lives.
The aircraft, a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter, plunged into the Gulf
of Finland after departing the Estonian capital of Tallinn. In
court papers, Copterline claims the crash was due to Sikorsky's
negligence and accuses the manufacturer of breach of warranty,
aggravated carelessness and neglecting an obligation to give a
warning.
The two sides have reportedly been in discussions concerning
liability for the crash, with the focus on the hydraulic control
servo for the main rotor. Copterline maintains the part is of poor
design whose failure directly led to the crash, while Sikorsky says
there is nothing wrong with the part -- or any other part of the
chopper -- and the crash's cause must be found elsewhere.
In a statement to Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, Sikorsky
says it, the servo's sub-contractor manufacturer Hydraulic Research
Textron, the NTSB and the FAA have all tested the part and found no
problems with it. Further, the statement asserts that despite being
subjected to deliberate strains and loss of fluid, consistent with
the alleged conditions of the accident, the servo performed
perfectly.
An Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) released by
the FAA on December 16, however, seems to somewhat contradict
Sikorsky's statement. In part, the SAIB says, "During the ongoing
investigation, we have observed some anomalies regarding fluid
contamination, excessive servo leakage, and flaking plasma coating
within the main rotor hydraulic servos. As a result, Sikorsky and
the servo manufacturer are conducting tests to evaluate the effects
of flaking plasma, fluid contamination and internal leakage on main
rotor servo performance. These tests are to determine if the
anomalies found during the investigation pose a significant safety
risk or if they contributed to the accident."
In an attachment to the
SAIB, Sikorsky notes, "Sikorsky Aircraft and the main rotor servo
manufacturer continue to evaluate the affects of internal leakage
and flaking plasma coating on the operation of the servo. Testing
that has been conducted to date by Sikorsky and the servo
manufacturer has not identified any safety of flight issues."
The SAIB requests owners to perform a leakage test on certain
part number hydraulic servos and send the results to the part's
manufacturer, HR Textron.
Helsingin Sanomat says over the years there have been a number
of accidents whose ultimate cause remains unclear, but which bear a
striking resemblance to the sequence of events in the Tallinn
crash.
If it turns out there is a problem with the servo, and
Copterline is successful in tying such a problem to the crash of
its helicopter, then Sikorsky could see a number of court
cases.
The NTSB's final report on the Tallinn crash is due out this
April.
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