2006 Cormorant crash

After the incredibly lengthy, conflicted but competitive selection process the CH-149 may need some polishing with this.

The month before the Cormorant crash that killed three airmen from 14 Wing Greenwood last July, the military issued a clear warning about training problems with the helicopter fleet.

Documents obtained under the Access to Information Act show Cormorant crews at the Annapolis Valley base were having trouble getting enough training time in the air because they had to keep landing every two hours to check the tail rotor half-hubs for cracking.

"Due to the two-hour flight restriction imposed on the Cormorant fleet in November 2004, proficiency of aircrew for critical tasks such as boat hoisting has deteriorated to an unacceptable level," said a "stress point summary" prepared last June.

The Cormorant that crashed on July 13, 2006, off Canso was getting ready to practise hoisting people from a fishing boat when it veered away and plunged into the ocean.

The June 2006 report said the reduction in aircrew proficiency of Cormorant crews at Greenwood was related to the two-hour flight restriction.

"Training tends to occur only in the immediate vicinity of 14 Wing in order to maximize training by reducing transit times," the report said. "This has resulted in aircrew becoming unfamiliar with other parts of the search and rescue region where they may be asked to conduct search and rescue operations at any time.

"Sequences are often rushed and only single attempts at an event are able to be made. This results in poor training, as sequences are often completed without the ability to correct or learn from mistakes, if they are completed at all."

The frequent tail rotor checks also meant crews had a lack of variety in their training, the report said.

"Crews are no longer exposed to unexpected challenges, and their ability to manage difficulties is lost."..

Since October 2004, cracks in the tail rotor half-hubs, which connect the tail rotor blades to the tail rotor driveshaft, have caused troubles for the military’s fleet of 15 search and rescue helicopters.

The report recommended changing the tail rotor checks to a system where the Cormorants would be inspected after each flight...

Cormorants can now fly for three hours before they need to be inspected, Lt. Paul Finnemore of air force public affairs said Monday. The air force made the change last June after technicians studied the tail-rotor problem...

Investigators probing last July’s Cormorant crash have not released a final report. The problems brought on by the frequent tail rotor checks are part of the inquiry...

Canada ordered 15 Cormorants in 1998 and they entered service in 2001.