Rosaviatsiya has instructed all Russian helicopter operators and the Kazan Helicopter Plant (part of Russian Helicopters of the Rostec State Corporation) to inspect the fleet of light multi-purpose Ansat helicopters and their modifications. Safety measures are being taken after the October accident involving an Ansat, which is on the balance sheet of the National Sanitary Aviation Service (NSSA, part of the Rostec State Corporation). The Ansat-SK helicopter (a modification for sanitary aviation) made a rough landing in the forest, injuring three of the five people on board.
RBC, citing a Rosaviatsiya directive available to the editors, notes that inspections on Ansat-SK model helicopters must be carried out immediately. For the basic Ansat model, it should be done within the next 25 flight hours. Even helicopters in operators' warehouses are subject to inspection.
It is prescribed to "perform a visual inspection of the blades, check the condition of the rubber layer of the pads for damage, the condition of the tips and ferrules of the blades, and check for the absence of unglued areas in the rubber layer of the pads and ferrules". The directive notes that the IAC investigation showed that the helicopter that crashed had a destroyed HR-23 tail gearbox and was missing a number of necessary elements of the tail rotor blades.
RBC sources in the NSSA note that more than 40 air ambulance helicopters have already been suspended from flights and duties until repairs are carried out at the factory in connection with the inspections. In a number of cases, shortcomings have been identified that will be eliminated.
During the inspections, the air ambulance service found itself in a difficult situation: the Ansats were the main aircraft for performing sanitary tasks, and their flights are now virtually suspended. Rostec is making every effort to correct the situation.
We are closely monitoring the development of the situation. Together with Rosaviatsiya, NSSA and Russian Helicopters, we are working on measures that will reduce the severity of the issue with the performance of sanitary aviation flights in the regions.
The Russian air ambulance service has an alternative in the form of modified Mi-8s equipped with medical modules. However, experts note that this machine is less maneuverable, not intended for rapid emergency evacuation, and has a higher cost per flight hour. They will not be able to replace the entire fleet of medical Ansats.
Earlier, at the end of 2023, the Kazan Helicopter Plant revealed the assembly of civilian helicopters with counterfeit parts. Gaskets for the fuel system made of rubber with counterfeit quality certificates were used during assembly, which could collapse in flight. At that time, Rosaviatsiya temporarily suspended the operation of 37 helicopters in various services, and 18 helicopters with dangerous components were identified in the NSSA air fleet.
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