Ecuador Dhruv Withdrawal

[v9s]

ECUADOR HAS grounded its remaining three HAL Dhruvs and terminated its support contract with the manufacturer, following four crashes. The decision was announced by Ecuador’s Minister of Defence, Fernando Cordero Cueva, on October 14. Ecuador had ordered seven Dhruvs for the Fuerza Aérea Ecuatoriana (FAE – Ecuadorian Air Force) on August 5, 2008, six for utility/SAR/CSAR operations and one for the Presidential/ VVIP role.


Ecuador’s Junta Investigadora de Accidentes Militares (JIAM – Military Accident Investigation Board) determined that pilot error was to blame for the first two losses so there had been no reason to suspend operations at that time. However, the JIAM said that technical deficiencies possibly caused the two accidents in January this year. The JIAM cited a probable fault in the autopilot which led to FAE-603’s loss of flight control and impact with water in the Chongón on January 13. On January 27, FAE-605 crashed just after take-off from a military heliport at Tena. Failure of the fourth segment of the tail rotor power transmission shaft with the unexpected failure at low altitude preventing any attempt at an emergency landing, was established by the JIAM as the likely cause of the accident.


The first Dhruv lost, FAE-604 on October 27, 2009, crashed during a display in Quito. The second involved the only VVIP-configured FAE Dhruv, FAE-601 – it crashed near Huigra, killing three of the four on board on February 20, 2014. The defence minister claimed the technical failures were due to manufacturing faults. AFM contacted HAL for comment, but the company has not responded. He also accused HAL of failing to integrate some of the equipment that was specified in the contract. This included a traffic alert and collision avoidance system (TCAS), integration of various navigation systems (VOR, ILS and DME) with cockpit display screens, an enhanced ground proximity warning system (EGPWS) and emergency locator (search) signal (SAR homer) equipment.


Source: AFM - Dec 2015

 

[Rajaraja Chola]

He also accused HAL of failing to integrate some of the equipment that was specified in the contract. This included a traffic alert and collision avoidance system (TCAS), integration of various navigation systems (VOR, ILS and DME) with cockpit display screens, an enhanced ground proximity warning system (EGPWS) and emergency locator (search) signal (SAR homer) equipment.


Source: AFM - Dec 2015

Money needed to be paid to integrate such things into the copter. It cannot come freely.
I think HAL should investigate it. HAL claim Ecuador opted out of that Extended Warrenty Scheme after which their technicians are responsible for its maintenance.

 

[New Resolve]

They value their pilots, very understandable.

 

[damiendehorn]

Its going to be a lot tougher for india to sell defense equiment to latin america now.

 

[Dazzler]

Money needed to be paid to integrate such things into the copter. It cannot come freely.
I think HAL should investigate it. HAL claim Ecuador opted out of that Extended Warrenty Scheme after which their technicians are responsible for its maintenance.

They were to equip them as per the contract. Read again

 

[Rajaraja Chola]

They were to equip them as per the contract. Read again

Nope. Do not go by the Ecuadorian officials. Oh yes they were in contract as a add-on if paid. And they didnt.
Moreover they opted out of the Warrenty Service and the accidents happened nearly a year or 2 after they started to do the maintainance themselves.

 

[Indian Patriot]

But still HAL wont learn a lesson.

 

[v9s]

Nope. Do not go by the Ecuadorian officials. Oh yes they were in contract as a add-on if paid. And they didnt.
Moreover they opted out of the Warrenty Service and the accidents happened nearly a year or 2 after they started to do the maintainance themselves.

Well HAL failed to comment on the allegations, which makes them suspect too. Or their entire PR dept needs to be fired.

 

[Mamsalaphala]

Well HAL failed to comment on the allegations, which makes them suspect too. Or their entire PR dept needs to be fired.

HAL is a PSU. They in all probability, do not even have a PR dept.

 

[Rajaraja Chola]

Well HAL failed to comment on the allegations, which makes them suspect too. Or their entire PR dept needs to be fired.

I know. Whether the fault was HAL or not, but the image of Dhruv has been sevely maligned in international market for sure.

 

[MilSpec]

ECUADOR HAS grounded its remaining three HAL Dhruvs and terminated its support contract with the manufacturer, following four crashes. The decision was announced by Ecuador’s Minister of Defence, Fernando Cordero Cueva, on October 14. Ecuador had ordered seven Dhruvs for the Fuerza Aérea Ecuatoriana (FAE – Ecuadorian Air Force) on August 5, 2008, six for utility/SAR/CSAR operations and one for the Presidential/ VVIP role.


Ecuador’s Junta Investigadora de Accidentes Militares (JIAM – Military Accident Investigation Board) determined that pilot error was to blame for the first two losses so there had been no reason to suspend operations at that time. However, the JIAM said that technical deficiencies possibly caused the two accidents in January this year. The JIAM cited a probable fault in the autopilot which led to FAE-603’s loss of flight control and impact with water in the Chongón on January 13. On January 27, FAE-605 crashed just after take-off from a military heliport at Tena. Failure of the fourth segment of the tail rotor power transmission shaft with the unexpected failure at low altitude preventing any attempt at an emergency landing, was established by the JIAM as the likely cause of the accident.


The first Dhruv lost, FAE-604 on October 27, 2009, crashed during a display in Quito. The second involved the only VVIP-configured FAE Dhruv, FAE-601 – it crashed near Huigra, killing three of the four on board on February 20, 2014. The defence minister claimed the technical failures were due to manufacturing faults. AFM contacted HAL for comment, but the company has not responded. He also accused HAL of failing to integrate some of the equipment that was specified in the contract. This included a traffic alert and collision avoidance system (TCAS), integration of various navigation systems (VOR, ILS and DME) with cockpit display screens, an enhanced ground proximity warning system (EGPWS) and emergency locator (search) signal (SAR homer) equipment.


Source: AFM - Dec 2015

If true, this is quite shameful for HAL.

 

[Mike_Brando]

Here,the most important fact that people should look into in this case is India has been operating the ALH Dhruv since 2002 and there are more than 200 examples currently serving in the Indian Armed Forces and yet there have been only 7-8 fatal crashes in all these years.Definitely some food for thought in this matter!!

 

[wiseone2]

Nope. Do not go by the Ecuadorian officials. Oh yes they were in contract as a add-on if paid. And they didnt.
Moreover they opted out of the Warrenty Service and the accidents happened nearly a year or 2 after they started to do the maintainance themselves.

it should not matter who does the maintenance
the lesson is that sort out all the defects before selling equipment.

Here,the most important fact that people should look into in this case is India has been operating the ALH Dhruv since 2002 and there are more than 200 examples currently serving in the Indian Armed Forces and yet there have been only 7-8 fatal crashes in all these years.Definitely some food for thought in this matter!!

the crashes in Ecuador was too frequent. something was wrong

 

[axisofevil]

I blame India under Congress. We were so quick to sell this equipment to make it look as if we are able to sell out products to the world. Yet, we don't engage in the tactics that the world uses. What makes anyone of us think another country would everything and anything to sabotage our hell's to f-k up our industry? China was doing it in Africa with regard to our Pharmecutical drugs.


However, HAL has a pretty bad track record. This dinosaur should have been extinct along with the OFB and other PSU's. India should go in and change everything. The new thinking should be that everything that was down before was full of corruption and done improperly from planning, hiring, etc. Parlay this as a new opportunity to truly change India.