AW139 Tail Rotor Duplex Bearing Failure at Norwich Prompts AAIB Safety Recommendations
A collapsed tail rotor duplex bearing was discovered during post-flight maintenance on a Bristow Helicopters AW139 (G-CIMU) at Norwich Airport on 13 June 2022. The AAIB determined that a loss of tail rotor control would likely have occurred had the helicopter continued operating, drawing parallels to the fatal 2018 Leicester City AW169 crash. The investigation revealed the bearing had been improperly refitted contrary to maintenance manual instructions. The AAIB has issued safety recommendations to Leonardo Helicopters for enhanced inspection regimes and HUMS upgrades, facing opposition from Italy's ANSV regulator.
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Impact verdict
Medium impact. The incident directly affects the AW139 fleet globally, particularly offshore oil rig operations where tail rotor control loss in hover is high risk; while no hull loss occurred, the safety recommendations and regulatory dispute could drive significant airworthiness compliance costs and affect insurability of the broader fleet.
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