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Sorry ,not enough information on the first or second pages for an accurate assesment.carholme wrote:2R;
If you read page one of this thread, you will see the distance to the rig. The remainder is self explanatory, I hope.
carholme
The '92 transmission does have a bypass leading to the oil cooler in case of a leak, but it may appear that the filter housing was overlooked as a potential leak source (pics swiped from prune)Unless such failures are extremely remote, it must be shown by test that any failure which results in loss of lubricant in any normal use lubrication system will not prevent continued safe operation, although not necessarily without damage, at a torque and rotational speed prescribed by the applicant for continued flight, for at least 30 minutes after perception by the flightcrew of the lubrication system failure or loss of lubricant.
N.L. offshore oil regulator to launch probe into worker safety in chopper crash
8 Apr, 5:32 PM
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - The agency that regulates the offshore oil industry in Newfoundland will do its own inquiry into a helicopter crash that killed 17 people, but said Wednesday it won't deal with mechanical issues surrounding the aircraft.
The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board said its inquiry will focus on the issue of "worker safety" and won't include the technical reasons on why the Sikorsky S-92A crashed into the ocean on March 12.
Mechanical problems, such as the shearing of bolts that held an oil filter to the main gearbox, will be left to an investigation by the Transportation Safety Board, said a spokesman for the agency.
"That's not a mandated area for our organization," Sean Kelly said from the agency's St. John's office. "For us, we would look at other issues but which are related in some way."
The safety board hasn't determined the cause of the accident, but the pilot did report a loss of oil in the gearbox as they descended towards the ocean.
Kelly said a yet-to-be-appointed commissioner will look at issues such as the survival suits, which some offshore oil workers have complained fit poorly, and the question of why emergency beacons weren't detected after the helicopter crashed and sank.
Sheldon Peddle, a union leader who represents about 700 offshore oil workers, said he's disappointed the regulator isn't going further into aircraft safety.
"From my perspective, they do have a little more jurisdiction and leeway to at least do some review of the safety record of the aircraft and of incidents elsewhere in the world," said Peddle, president of Local 2121 of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union.
He said the board could hire experts to look at issues such as the flotation pontoons that are supposed to prevent a helicopter from sinking after ditching in the ocean.
The Cougar Helicopters chopper sank about 20 minutes after it crashed at high speed off Newfoundland.
Peddle said his concern over the S-92A's safety grew after learning last week that it was certified by a European aviation authority, even though the main gearbox failed to pass a test to determine if it could run for 30 minutes without oil.
The gearbox passed the safety standard despite failing this "depleted oil test" because Sikorsky was able to demonstrate to the agencies that the chances of oil leaking out of the gearbox were "extremely remote," according to documents filed with the Joint Aviation Authorities.
Peddle argued that logic is flawed because crash investigators have determined the oil leaked out due to the broken studs on the attached filter. Civil aviation authorities in Norway and Australia have also reported other incidents of oil leaks.
However, the union leader said questions over the certification process are resulting in a more in-depth review of the aircraft by a committee of offshore operators that are considering whether the S-92A flights by Cougar Helicopters should resume to the platforms.
Peddle was invited to a briefing Wednesday of the committee, which includes representatives from Hibernia Development Management Co. , Husky Energy (TSX:HSE) and Petro-Canada (TSX:PCA) .
Peddle said in meetings last week, before issues about certification emerged in the media, that the companies were focusing too narrowly on the shearing of the titanium studs.
He said that's changing and that the companies are getting into more depth and hiring international experts due to the half-hour oil test issue.
"That's what is making them re-evaluate what the goal of this whole review is," he said.
Officials from Hibernia Management Development Corp. and Husky Energy were unavailable for comment Wednesday.
Sikorsky spokesman Paul Jackson declined comment.
"I will not get into details while the (Transportation Safety Board) investigation remains ongoing," he said in an email. "We are assisting with that investigation and are committed to protecting its confidentiality and integrity."
Meanwhile, the RCMP said the sole survivor of the accident, Robert Decker, had spoken to officers and given "a full account" of what he recalls about the crash.
"The information given by Decker will be provided to Transportation Safety Board investigators for their ongoing investigation into the helicopter crash. ... The RCMP will not be in a position to recount his story."
Thanks Carholme,carholme wrote:My apologies. I do not like to post without qualification but we do not have the translated copy as yet.
http://www.aftenbladet.no/energi/olje/1 ... a_Tor.html
carholme
Google translation: http://translate.google.com/translate?h ... n%26sa%3DGcarholme wrote:My apologies. I do not like to post without qualification but we do not have the translated copy as yet.
http://www.aftenbladet.no/energi/olje/1 ... a_Tor.html
carholme
Where you on the Keiland ?carholme wrote:progman;
I am just happy they got to the rig. I remember March 27, 1980 when the leg failed on the Kielland. We lost 132 of 212 men that day.
carholme
carholme wrote:Cougar Limits offshore S92 ops to 7000'
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ ... m_mostview
carholme
Sikorsky officials defend the S-92's safety record, noting that it is the only helicopter in the world certified to a tough standard known as FAR Part 29. But that very standard is now at the heart of an ongoing debate over the S-92's capabilities. FAR 29 calls for a machine to be capable of running for 30 minutes after losing the oil in its main gearbox, allowing extra time to make a safe landing. But aviation authorities, including the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Transport Canada, certified the S-92 in spite of its failure to pass such a "run dry" test because the manufacturer demonstrated that the chance of complete oil loss is "extremely remote."
Aircraft certification engineers say the term "extremely remote" is based on the probability that a component will fail approximately once every 10 million flying hours. According to Sikorsky, the S-92 fleet has accumulated approximately 145,000 hours. Four incidents would indicate a failure rate of more than once per 37,000 hours, or about 267 times the "extremely remote" chance of once in 10 million.
"This is not what you would call an extremely remote chance of failure," says one helicopter engineer.
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