The ill-fated Pawan Hans Dauphin AS 365 N3 was on its first off-shore sortie after a two-week-long routine 'T' inspection which is carried out after completion of 600 hours of flying.
The eight-year old aircraft was re-inducted into service only on Friday. The 'T' inspection involves removing and checking main rotor blade and its components, checking the landing gear, engine modules, etc.
The crash brought to the fore an audit that the directorate general of civil aviation had carried out at the Andaman and Nicobar base of Pawan Hans four months ago, where a number of engineering and maintenance deficiencies were pointed out. Following the audit, the Pawan Hans top management had issued an order to replace the quality manager and continuous air worthiness manager, who oversee maintenance carried out to keep the aircraft safe and air-worthy. "However, both continue to hold the posts because of the support from top engineering management in Delhi," said a source.
Another topic of conversation among pilots and engineers now was the problems facing the Safran engines that power Dauphin helicopters. "In the past two years, Pawan Hans has had 12-13 cases of engine seizure," said an engineer, adding that a number of seizures occurred during start up. "However, the possibility of engine seizing up during flight cannot be ruled out. It can happen in low temperatures or when fuel supply isn't proper," he said. In 2016 and 2017 French manufacturer Safran had sent its teams to Pawan Hans to address the issue and had offered a compensation to the company.
14/01/18 Manju V/Times of India
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The eight-year old aircraft was re-inducted into service only on Friday. The 'T' inspection involves removing and checking main rotor blade and its components, checking the landing gear, engine modules, etc.
The crash brought to the fore an audit that the directorate general of civil aviation had carried out at the Andaman and Nicobar base of Pawan Hans four months ago, where a number of engineering and maintenance deficiencies were pointed out. Following the audit, the Pawan Hans top management had issued an order to replace the quality manager and continuous air worthiness manager, who oversee maintenance carried out to keep the aircraft safe and air-worthy. "However, both continue to hold the posts because of the support from top engineering management in Delhi," said a source.
Another topic of conversation among pilots and engineers now was the problems facing the Safran engines that power Dauphin helicopters. "In the past two years, Pawan Hans has had 12-13 cases of engine seizure," said an engineer, adding that a number of seizures occurred during start up. "However, the possibility of engine seizing up during flight cannot be ruled out. It can happen in low temperatures or when fuel supply isn't proper," he said. In 2016 and 2017 French manufacturer Safran had sent its teams to Pawan Hans to address the issue and had offered a compensation to the company.
14/01/18 Manju V/Times of India
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