New Zealand Clears R44 Helicopters for Flight: Detailed Pre-Flight Inspection Advised

The concerns around flying R 44 helicopters in New Zealand are temporarily over. The authorities have cleared the curbs on flying Robinson R-44 helicopters and declared them fit, after investigators concluded that it was the breakage of the rotor blade that led to the crash and not its failure. The R44 is in extensive use by agriculture and tourism industries. The light, four-seater helicopter has a top cruising speed of 217 kmh.

Director of Civil Aviation Graeme Harris lifted the flight ban. Australia had also grounded the aircraft. But, so far it has not made any announcement. The Civil Aviation Authority had ordered the grounding of all Robinson R44 aircraft fitted with a C016-7 Dash 7 main rotor blad in the afternath of crash of an “Over The Top” helicopter in the Lochy Valley, near Queenstown on Feb 19. It killed two helicopter company's employees, Stephen Combe and James Patterson-Gardner. Lab inspection of the blade confirmed that it possibly sheared off when the aircraft hit the ground and crashed killing the two occupants.

Probable Overloading

According to Civil Aviation director Graeme Harris, the blade retrieved from the crash site indicated that the failure was caused by overloading and probably caused by ''impact damage." The director said it is likely that the helicopter was damaged during the accident sequence, rather than initiating the accident. On Jan 23, a pilot escaped safely after landing an R44 after severe rotor blade vibration.

Meanwhile, the concerns about the blade crack continued until the manufacturer issued a direction to operators. Robinson Helicopters in a safety alert directed for "careful visual inspection" of the rotor blade during all pre-flight inspections.

Operators Relieved

The decision gave a big relief to helicopter operators, who were affected by the largest grounding in New Zealand aviation history, reports ODT news. Wanaka Helicopters owner Simon Spencer-Bower expressed extreme relief and said “none of us want to fly around thinking we've got some equipment that's suspect and might fail. To be found that that did not happen gives a lot more confidence," he added.

New Zealand Helicopter Association executive officer John Sinclair also hailed the announcement and said the industry had been ''looking down the barrel'' of a long wait to get back to work.

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