European Aviation Safety Agency

Trevor Woods Director Approvals and Standardisation

Cologne, 04 April 2014TWDD/MVH/S(0) 2014(D)51689

UK HOUSE OF COMMONS

TRANSPORT COMMITTEE

Mrs Louise ElImanChair

Subject: Written evidence submitted by the European Aviation Safety

Agency following the evidence session on 17 March 2014

Dear Mrs ElIman,

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) was pleased to have the opportunity toappear in front of the Committees second evidence session on 17 March 2014.

I have attached additional information that you requested regarding EASAs response tosafety recommendations on the UK offshore operations. This is set out in Annex 1.

Notably, concerning the 2009 G-REDL accident, four EASA Airworthiness Directives(Agency Decisions, mandating certain continuing airworthiness actions) and oneSafety Information Bulletin were issued, together with an internal gearbox collectormodification, all to inspect and to improve conspicuity of gearbox particle early detectionand identification. Concerning 2012 G-REDW and G-CHCN ditching cases (main gearboxlower end shaft failure and emergency lubrication failure), eleven EASA AirworthinessDirectives were issued; concerning the shaft, the following has been implemented:download of vibration health monitoring data and in-flight monitoring of vibration criticalthresholds; shaft non-destructive inspections and cleaning; a currently ongoing redesignof an improved shaft; five modifications affecting the emergency lubrication system; andfour ancillary other modifications.

Taking account of the operational conditions and specificities of offshore operations in theNorth Sea, EASA, together with the Member States and industry, has developed anumber of rulemaking tasks, some of which also directly relate to the safetyrecommendations listed in Annex 1. Annex 2 provides you with an overview of thedifferent rulemaking initiatives in this area and their expected timeline. In fact,the UK CAA is the largest and a very active contributor to the EU-EASA rulemakingteams.

Member States are an integral contributor and part of the European aviation safetysystem for which we have a very cooperative and productive working relationship.This is enabled by the EU Regulations in place assigning specific competences to theNational Aviation Authorities, to EASA and the Commission. I have provided you with anoverview of this system in Annex 3 describing the roles in more detail and thereby the

Tel.: +49 (0) 221 89990 6000 Fax: +49 (0) 221 89990 6500 trevor.woods@easa.europa.euTE.GEN.00101-003

kstaI acklress: [tftdi 1012 53, D50452 Cnbgne, Germany Visiting aldress: Ottophlx 1 D50679 Cobgne, GermanyTd.: +49(0) 221 8999 000 Fax: 449(0)2218999(7)9 F-niafl: Info@easa.eurupa.ai Webijie: http:/feasaaropasi

way the European system works towards a high and uniform level of safety acrossEurope including offshore operations.

Finally, I would like to assure you that the recent recommendations contained inthe UK CAA helicopter offshore report are currently being assessed by EASA in exactlythe same way as any recommendation addressed to the Agency by an official accidentinvestigation board. Our initial response to them will be provided this week.

With this information I am confident that the EU Safety Framework encompassesoffshore helicopter safety issues, and as a result will benefit not only the safety of the UKfleet but also those of other Member States with offshore operations.

Yours sincerely,

Trevor Woods

Annex 1 EASA Response to UK offshore helicopter Safety RecommendationsAnnex 2 Rulemaking initiatives in the domain of offshore helicopter operationsAnnex 3 Civil Aviation Safety in Europe and the role of EASA

2

An

nex

1E

AS

AR

esp

onse

toS

afe

tyR

eco

mm

en

dati

on

s

01

/04

/20

09

-6-

RE

W.

-C

rash

edin

tose

afo

llow

ing

gea

rbo

xfa

ilure

and

roto

rhea

dse

par

atio

n.

16PO

B-

All

kill

ed

Saf

ety

Rec

No.

Rec

om

men

dat

ion

Sum

mar

yof

acti

ons

taken

UN

KG

-200

9-04

9It

isR

ecom

men

ded

that

the

Eu

rop

ean

Avi

atio

nS

afet

yA

genc

y(E

AS

A)

EASA

issu

edE

mer

genc

yA

irw

orth

ines

sD

irec

tive

eval

uat

eth

eef

fica

cyof

the

Eur

ocop

ter

pro

gra

mm

eof

addi

tion

alin

spec

tion

s20

09-0

087-

Eon

11-0

4-20

09.

and

enhan

ced

mon

itor

ing

and,

whe

nsa

tisf

ied,

mak

eth

eE

uroc

opte

rA

lert

Ser

vice

Bul

letin

man

dat

ory

byis

suin

gan

Air

wor

thin

ess

dire

ctiv

ew

ithim

med

iate

effe

ct

UN

KG

-200

9-0S

1It

isre

com

men

ded

that

Eur

ocop

ter

with

the

Eu

rop

ean

Avi

atio

nS

afet

yEA

SAis

sued

Air

wor

thin

ess

Dir

ecti

ve20

09-0

099-

E

Age

ncy

(EA

SA),

deve

lop

and

impl

emen

tan

insp

ecti

onof

the

inte

rnal

dat

ed23

Apr

il20

09(s

uper

seded

sinc

eby

EASA

com

ponen

tsof

the

mai

nro

tor

gea

rbo

xep

icyc

lic

mod

ule

for

all

AS

332L

2an

dA

D20

12-0

129-

Eon

13-0

7-20

12).

EC

225L

Phe

lico

pter

sas

am

atte

rof

urge

ncy

toen

sure

the

cont

inue

dai

rwor

thin

ess

ofth

em

ain

roto

rge

arbo

x.T

his

insp

ecti

onin

addi

tion

toth

at

spec

ifie

din

EA

SA

Em

erge

ncy

Air

wor

thin

ess

dire

ctiv

e20

9-00

87-E

,an

dsh

ould

bem

ade

man

dato

ryw

ithim

med

iate

effe

ctby

anad

diti

onal

EA

SA

Em

ergen

cyA

irw

orth

ines

sD

irec

tive

.

UN

KG

-200

9-07

4It

isre

com

men

ded

that

the

Eu

rop

ean

Avi

atio

nS

afet

yA

genc

y,in

conj

unct

ion

Saf

ety

Info

rmat

ion

Bul

leti

n(S

IB)

No.

2009

-27

onw

ithE

uroc

opte

r,re

view

the

inst

ruct

ions

and

pro

cedure

sco

ntai

ned

inth

e21

Aug

ust

2009

.S

tan

dar

dP

ract

ices

Pro

cedure

sM

TC

20.0

8.08

.601

sect

ion

ofth

eE

C22

5LP

and

AS

332L

2he

lico

pter

sA

ircr

aft

Mai

nten

ance

Man

ual,

toen

sure

that

corr

ect:

iden

tifi

cati

onof

the

type

ofm

agne

tic

part

icle

sfo

und

with

inth

eoi

lsy

stem

ol

the

pow

ertr

ansm

issi

on

syst

emis

max

imis

ed.

-

UN

K6200907

5It

isre

com

men

ded

that

the

Eu

rop

ean

Avi

atio

nS

afet

yA

genc

y,in

conj

unct

ion

Des

ign

revi

ewper

form

edin

coll

abo

rati

on

wit

h

with

Eur

ocop

ter,

urge

ntly

revi

ewth

ede

sign

,op

erat

iona

llif

ean

din

spec

tion

Eu

roco

pte

r,co

nfi

rmin

gth

eval

idit

yo

fEA

SA

pro

cess

esof

the

plan

etgea

rsuse

din

the

epic

ycli

cm

odul

eof

the

Mai

nR

otor

Air

wor

thin

ess

Dir

ecti

ve20

09-0

099-

Eat

that

tim

eG

earb

ox

inst

alle

din

AS

332L

2an

dE

C22

5LP

heli

copt

ers,

with

the

inte

ntio

nof

(su

per

sed

edsi

nce

byEA

SAA

D20

12-0

129-

Eon

min

imis

ing

the

pote

ntia

lof

any

crac

ks

pro

gre