Airbus Updates Maintenance Manual After Clutha Pub Crash Report Exposes Error

Strategic Insights -

The manufacturer of the helicopter which crashed into the Clutha pub in Glasgow in 2013 is updating its maintenance manual following a report that revealed an error. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) found that there was just 32 seconds between the first and second engines of the helicopter "flaming out" as it flew over the pub on November 29, 2013. This is at odds with the maintenance manual, which states that the time between the right and left engines flaming out will be three to four minutes. Corrective action is being taken to amend the manual, with the next revision due to be published in December.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report into the Clutha pub helicopter crash found an error in the maintenance manual for the Eurocopter EC135, stating that the time between the right and left engines flaming out will be three to four minutes, when in fact it was only 32 seconds.
  • The maintenance manual for the Eurocopter EC135, made by Airbus Helicopters, will be updated to provide a more accurate figure in the next revision, due to be published in December.
  • The updated maintenance manual will include the correct time interval between engine flameouts, which will be used by pilots and maintenance personnel to ensure safe operation of the helicopter.
  • The AAIB report also found that pilot David Traill did not follow emergency protocol and flew on despite low fuel warnings on the night of the crash, which resulted in the deaths of 10 people.
  • Guidelines state that Mr Traill should have landed within 10 minutes of the first warning, but did not, and he also failed to complete the emergency shutdown checklist following the first engine failure.

Statistics:

  • 32 seconds: the time between the first and second engines of the helicopter "flaming out" as it flew over the Clutha pub on November 29, 2013.
  • 3-4 minutes: the incorrect time interval stated in the maintenance manual for the Eurocopter EC135 between the right and left engines flaming out.
  • 10: the number of people who died as a result of the Clutha pub helicopter crash.
  • 5: the number of times low-fuel warnings were triggered and acknowledged during the flight.
  • 10 minutes: the time guidelines that pilot David Traill should have landed after the first low-fuel warning.

Sources:

  • Press Association Scotland
  • Airbus Helicopters
  • AAIB Report into the Clutha pub helicopter crash
  • Social media post by Evelyn Holmes Mitchell, sister of pilot David Traill