No plans to ground other four Coast Guard Sikorsky S-92s

There are no plans to ground the remaining four Irish Coast Guard Sikorsky S-92 helicopters, a spokesman for CHC Helicopter has said.

CHC, one of the world’s largest providers of helicopter services, has a contract with the Irish Coast Guard to provide it with aircraft. The current contract is until 2022.

Tuesday's crash off the Mayo coast is the third involving the US-made S-92 since its introduction to service in 2004. In 2008, a S-92 crashed at Gapyeong-Gun in the Republic of Korea, where there were no fatalities. In March 2009, 17 people were killed in St John's, Canada, when a helicopter crashed into the ocean.

The manufacturer Sikorsky told The Irish Times that to its knowledge the S-92 has not been grounded in any country in the aftermath of the Irish crash. A spokeswoman said the company maintained full confidence in the helicopter's safety and design.

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There are now four S-92s operating in Ireland, and, with investigations into the cause of the crash ongoing, they will remain in full service.

“There are currently no indications of previous technical issues relating to this particular airframe,” CHC said in a statement. “As part of the investigation all possible causes will be explored; this will include a full review of the technical aspects of the aircraft.

“Speculation at this time is unhelpful, and we will continue to be closely engaged with the aircraft manufacturer who [is] supporting the investigation.”

It said the aircraft which crashed was in compliance with all airworthiness directives and alert service bulletins.

Investigation

Sikorsky, which is owned by

Lockheed Martin

, said it would continue to work with the

Air Accident Investigations Unit

, and “will take any actions deemed appropriate as a result of the findings of that investigation”.

The S-92 first came into service in the Gulf of Mexico in 2004. During its lifetime the Federal Aviation Administration in the US has issued 25 airworthiness directives on the recommendation of Sikorsky, including one last January which led to a precautionary inspection of the Irish fleet relating to concerns over tail rotors . No issues of concern were identified during the inspection.

In 2014, the cost to the Irish Coast Guard of the service package was €55 million per year, before VAT, for which it received a minimum of 65 hours per month at four bases in Dublin, Waterford, Shannon and Sligo.

CHC Ireland, a subsidiary of CHC, made a profit of €3.4 million for its financial year to the end of April 2015, according to latest accounts filed. That compared to €427,000 the previous year.

“The profit for the year was realised following the completion of the transition to new S-92 aircraft,” it said of the switch-over from previous S-61 models which was completed by December 2013. During that 12-month period CHC Ireland completed 3,331 flying hours.