Maintenance and Modifications
AW189 Heating Duct Failure Prompts Redesign
Respiratory irritation and smoke follow AW189 heating duct failures.
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The UK’s Air Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) has released its findings regarding a series of cabin heating duct failures aboard Leonardo AW189 helicopters. In a report released earlier this month, the AAIB examined a failure aboard a search-and-rescue-configured AW189 on a flight from its base at Lydd Airport in Kent on Jan. 7, 2022. 

According to the AAIB, the duct “failed in flight, releasing fragments of duct insulation material into the cabin and cockpit, causing respiratory irritation to the occupants. The aircraft landed safely. Similar heating duct failures had previously occurred in several of the operator’s other AW189 aircraft.” Leonardo subsequently issued a service bulletin (SB) to make the installation of the existing duct “more robust” as an “interim solution.”