THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, June 13, 1996 TAG: 9606130353
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DALE EISMAN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: 45 lines
The Pentagon grounded almost 200 Navy and Marine Corps helicopters Wednesday, as its investigation of a fatal crash last month found an ``area of concern'' with a critical part of their main rotor assemblies.
Lt. Greg Giesen, a Navy spokesman, said all 154 Marine CH-53E and 45 Navy MH-53E model helos deployed around the world will be inspected for possible problems in the ``swashplate duplex bearing assembly.''
The large helicopters, popularly known as Super Stallions and Sea Dragons, are used for a variety of jobs in both services, including hauling cargo and personnel to ships under way, mine countermeasures and supporting amphibious assaults. Each one costs about $24 million and can be outfitted to carry up to 55 troops.
The suspicious part is at the bottom of the main rotor assembly, so getting at it and performing the inspection will be a major job for mechanics, Giesen said. He would not predict how long the helicopters might be out of service.
In layman's terms, the assembly is similar to two pieplates, stacked one atop the other with bearings in between, Giesen said. The bottom plate is fixed; the top rotates on the bearings. The assembly also contains controls involved in adjusting the pitch of the rotor, he said.
Giesen said no major mishaps have been attributed to the assembly but that investigators are looking at it in connection with the crash May 9 of a Marine H-53E that was undergoing a flight check in preparation for its addition to the White House fleet.
All four crew members died in that accident, which occurred near a Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. factory in Stratford, Conn. Sikorsky, the H-53's manufacturer, recommended the grounding announced Wednesday, the Pentagon said.
Giesen said the Marines typically use H-53D models to serve the White House but have been evaluating the 53E for possible addition to their inventory. President Clinton and the first family are transported in VH-3D Sea King or VH-60N Sea Hawk helos, he added.
While the H-53Es are out of service, the Navy and Marine Corps will use other helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft to do their jobs, Giesen said.
The Norfolk-based amphibious ship Guam, now supporting Marine operations in Liberia, is among the deployed ships that use the H-53E. The Ponce, which left Norfolk this week to relieve the Guam and two other ships off the African coast, swapped its four H-53Es for four CH-46E helos Wednesday. by CNB