(Halifax) The extent and cost of repairs to software whose malfunctioning crashed a Canadian Armed Forces maritime helicopter that claimed the lives of its six crew members will not be known until the spring.
A spokesperson for the Department of National Defense said in a recent email that the process is underway, but it will be until the review by Sikorsky, the maker of the Cyclone CH-148, is completed before assessing the costs. and determine a timeline.
Two military investigations have determined that it was a software glitch that played a major role in the fatal Cyclone helicopter crash off the coast of Greece last year.
Experts told The Canadian Press in July that the faulty software issue was urgently needed. They expressed concerns about the possibility of other fatal crashes like the one in 2020.
In the meantime, the Royal Canadian Air Force Cyclone fleet faces further trouble. Cracks have recently been discovered at the tail of most aircraft. Some 19 helicopters need to be repaired.
Two phases
A flight safety report listed several recommendations, including the need to modify the flight control software.
Andrew McKelvey, a spokesperson for National Defense, said the repairs will require two phases.
“The first phase is to determine the extent of changes to be made to follow the recommendations of the report. This will be completed in the spring of 2022, ”he wrote to The Canadian Press.
The timing of the second phase will depend on the extent of the repairs to be made.
According to experts consulted by The Canadian Press, the solution will not be only to modify the training of pilots or to limit the permitted maneuvers.
Mary Cummings of Duke University said the pilot’s inability to regain control of the software aircraft is “a very serious problem that must be addressed immediately.”
Sikorsky spokesperson John Dorrian said the company was working with the Royal Canadian Air Force to “determine improvements to the CH-148 flight control system.”
Mr. Dorrian cautioned that this process may result in new findings requiring further modification.
Cyclones are typically deployed aboard Canadian frigates and used for search and rescue, surveillance and anti-submarine warfare.
Greg Jamieson of the University of Toronto believes that a period of one year to determine the extent of changes to a relatively new flight control system “is a reasonable period of time.”
“If the scope of the modifications is large, it could call into question the entire certification process of these devices, especially since it was judged that the biased behavior of Sikorsky’s autopilot did not represent a risk,” he said. .
Michael Byers of the University of British Columbia criticized the Canadian Armed Forces for endangering the lives of its crews by using helicopters with safety issues.
“Ordering crews not to perform certain maneuvers is simply unacceptable because it increases the chances of human error or breakdown. The Cyclones must be kept on the ground until Sikorsky finally fixes the software problem. ”