The 12 March crash of a Cougar Helicopters Sikorsky S-92 off the coast of Newfoundland, which killed 17 of the 18 occupants, is raising questions about Canada's decision to acquire 28 Sikorsky H-92 (CH-148 Cyclone in Canadian Forces service) maritime helicopters.rnFlight investigators have focused on the main gearbox as the cause of the crash and found that two of the three filter bow] assembly mounting studs had broken, resulting in a rapid loss of oil and failure of the gearbox. The US Federal Aviation Adminis-rntration (FAA) subsequently issued an emergency airworthiness directive for removal of the titani um studs and replacement with steel studs.rnDocuments show that the S-92 does not meet a specification that calls for the main gearbox to run for 30 minutes without oil, despite being certified to the Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) 29 standard that requires it.
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