What Regular Maintenance does My Helicopter Need to Avoid Crashing?

Posted in Helicopter Accidents on October 5, 2016

It doesn’t really matter what vehicle you find yourself in; regular maintenance is absolutely crucial to avoid problems.

For passenger vehicles, such as cars or motorcycles, failing to perform regular maintenance can have the effect of engine/tire/component failure, leaving individuals stranded on the side of the road waiting for help.

For some other vehicles, though, such as airplanes or helicopters, the effects of neglecting maintenance can be significantly more dangerous, and even fatal.

What Maintenance is Required for Helicopters?

Everything is more carefully controlled in aircraft. If you have ever been taken up in a small aircraft by a friend or family member, then you are undoubtedly familiar with the concept of pre-flight checks. Whereas in a car, you simply get in and buckle your seatbelt, there are long checklists of things to check before you can safely go up in a helicopter or plane, and for good reason.

Almost all of the things checked on the pre-flight checklist are related to equipment and components that need to be maintained, all the service of which must be done by a trained and certified helicopter mechanic. There are various bolts/fasteners that must be tightened to exactly X pound-feet of torque, there are engine components that must be exactly X mm apart when fully compressed, there are belts that must have exactly X inches of wiggle room, there are fuel components that must be completely leak-free, there are electrical components that must exactly match X specification, etc.

The specific details of individual components and the specifications they need to meet are incredibly complex and vary from model to model, but the main gist is that everything in helicopters is more tightly controlled and measured because it simply needs to be. Equipment failure is not an inconvenience in helicopters, it is a life-threatening emergency.

If you or someone you love has been involved in a helicopter crash, and you suspect it was due to improper maintenance, do not hesitate to get in touch with an aviation attorney immediately. You may have rights, and you may be able to prevent such accidents from occurring again in the future.