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Five Norwegians and their Swedish pilot died
when their AS350B3e helicopter crashed in Arctic Norway on Aug.
31. Norwegian investigators have not concluded on the cause.
Following preliminary findings linked to the connection between
the engine and the main gearbox, Airbus Helicopters has issued
an emergency alert service bulletin (EASB) calling for visual
inspections of this area on all recently delivered AS350, AS550
and EC130 helicopters, investigators said.
"According to Airbus Helicopters, issuance of the EASB (notice)
is a precautionary measure to ensure the continued airworthiness
of the helicopter type," the Accident Investigation Board Norway
said in a statement.
The crashed aircraft had flown just 73 hours, it added.
Airbus was not available for immediate comment.
Helitrans, operator of the crashed helicopter, said it had
performed the prescribed inspections on its 15 remaining
helicopters of the same type.
"There were no discoveries of any kind. In accordance with the
recommendations from Airbus, the helicopters are thus cleared to
fly and will be put back into operation," the company said in a
statement.
In 2016 an Airbus Super Puma helicopter crashed off the coast of
Norway, killing all 13 people aboard, the result of metal
fatigue in its gearbox.
As a result, Norwegian authorities recommended Airbus revise the
design of the main gearbox of its AS 332 L2 and EC 225 LP Super
Puma helicopters. These models are different from the model that
crashed in August.
In the 2016 crash the Super Puma's main rotor blades separated
from the helicopter as it was ferrying passengers from an
offshore oil platform.
(Additional reporting by Tim Hepher; editing by Jason Neely)
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