S-92 spin blamed on tail rotor piston damage

A Sikorsky S-92 helicopter suffered a “total loss of control” due to the failure of a tail rotor piston when landing on the West Franklin platform off the UK, according to preliminary findings from an investigation into the incident.

The probe by the UK’s Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) has traced the cause of the 28 December incident, which resulted in gouge marks on the platform’s helideck, to the seizure of a tail rotor pitch change shaft bearing on the CHC Helicopter-operated aircraft.

In