Scotland OK's coast guard helicopters after parts upgrade

Scotland has given its coast guard helicopters an all-clear after fitting the fleet with replacement parts in the wake of a crash off Newfoundland's coast this month.

The Scottish coast guard uses Sikorsky S-92 choppers, like the Cougar Helicopters aircraft that crashed March 12, killing 17 of the 18 people aboard. It had been ferrying workers to two offshore oil platforms.

On Friday, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada reported that a broken titanium mounting stud was found on the gearbox of that helicopter, although TSB investigators have stressed that they do not yet know whether that caused the crash.

BBC News reported Monday that four Scottish coast guard helicopters were outfitted with replacement parts after being taken out of service for the weekend.

The Federal Aviation Authority in the U.S. has advised that it will issue an order calling for an immediate upgrade to the Sikorsky S-92 helicopters.

Sikorsky, a U.S. manufacturer, announced in late January that titanium mounting studs for the gearbox should be replaced with steel ones, and that the upgrade should be completed within a year, or 1,250 flying hours.

The TSB recovered most of the Cougar fuselage last Wednesday, pulling it from the ocean floor about 55 kilometres southeast of St. John's. The wreckage is being transported to labs in Ottawa for forensic analysis.

St. John's-based Cougar has suspended its flights to and from platforms working off Newfoundland, as the TSB investigation continues. In the meantime, offshore supply vessels are transporting crews.