Defective Manufacturing Blamed For Parts Failures

The US Navy blamed a failed Seahawk helicopter tail rotor blade on a "manufacturing defect." The crew reported an unusual vibration during a routine flight. When they landed they found a portion of one blade missing.

Sikorsky admits it could have been a big problem. The company's vice president for quality George Klug told WTHN TV, "A total failure of any flight critical part would be an issue."

Sikorsky says it doesn't know how a defective tail rotor blade passed company quality control. More alarming, 41 other blades in service on other choppers had similar problems.

And the problems aren't just with Navy birds. The US Army reported the main gear box housings on some of its Blackhawks were made of too thin materials.

The company maintains it has an effective quality control program. "No manufacturing system is perfect. We strive for perfection; we don't always reach it, so getting people to identify the issues to address is what we're about here," says Klug.

But WTHN TV says its sources report Sikorsky reduced the number of quality inspectors at its Stratford, CT plant from seventy to eight.

The company says some of the defective parts are not made by Sikorsky and it relies on those suppliers to perform quality inspections.

"We've also added inspectors at our supply base," says Klug.  "It is more effective to take those resources and put them where the parts are made than check them on the way into the factory here."

Despite internal documents obtained by WTHN showing an eight-fold increase in quality issues, Sikorsky maintains its safety record is better than ever.  Klug says its aircraft perform better than ever in the world's toughest environments.

FMI: www.sikorsky.com