Copterline Files $60 Million Suit For Deadly 2005 Crash

Finnish company Copterline filed a suit in a New York City federal court just before Christmas naming Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation as defendant. Copterline is seeking $60 million in damages over an August 2005 crash which claimed 14 lives.

The aircraft, a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter, plunged into the Gulf of Finland after departing the Estonian capital of Tallinn. In court papers, Copterline claims the crash was due to Sikorsky's negligence and accuses the manufacturer of breach of warranty, aggravated carelessness and neglecting an obligation to give a warning.

The two sides have reportedly been in discussions concerning liability for the crash, with the focus on the hydraulic control servo for the main rotor. Copterline maintains the part is of poor design whose failure directly led to the crash, while Sikorsky says there is nothing wrong with the part -- or any other part of the chopper -- and the crash's cause must be found elsewhere.

In a statement to Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, Sikorsky says it, the servo's sub-contractor manufacturer Hydraulic Research Textron, the NTSB and the FAA have all tested the part and found no problems with it. Further, the statement asserts that despite being subjected to deliberate strains and loss of fluid, consistent with the alleged conditions of the accident, the servo performed perfectly.

An Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) released by the FAA on December 16, however, seems to somewhat contradict Sikorsky's statement. In part, the SAIB says, "During the ongoing investigation, we have observed some anomalies regarding fluid contamination, excessive servo leakage, and flaking plasma coating within the main rotor hydraulic servos. As a result, Sikorsky and the servo manufacturer are conducting tests to evaluate the effects of flaking plasma, fluid contamination and internal leakage on main rotor servo performance. These tests are to determine if the anomalies found during the investigation pose a significant safety risk or if they contributed to the accident."

In an attachment to the SAIB, Sikorsky notes, "Sikorsky Aircraft and the main rotor servo manufacturer continue to evaluate the affects of internal leakage and flaking plasma coating on the operation of the servo. Testing that has been conducted to date by Sikorsky and the servo manufacturer has not identified any safety of flight issues."

The SAIB requests owners to perform a leakage test on certain part number hydraulic servos and send the results to the part's manufacturer, HR Textron.

Helsingin Sanomat says over the years there have been a number of accidents whose ultimate cause remains unclear, but which bear a striking resemblance to the sequence of events in the Tallinn crash.

If it turns out there is a problem with the servo, and Copterline is successful in tying such a problem to the crash of its helicopter, then Sikorsky could see a number of court cases.

The NTSB's final report on the Tallinn crash is due out this April.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov, www.faa.gov, www.sikorsky.com, www.copterline.com