§ 30. Mr. Onslowasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has established the cause of the loss of an RAF Puma helicopter in Norway on 30th January 1978; and if all relevant 99W information about this accident has been made available to the Civil Aviation Authority, for dissemination to other operators of the type.
§ Mr. WellbelovedA board of inquiry has investigated the circumstances of the accident. Its report is now being reviewed by the convening authority, but it appears that the sequence of events that caused this helicopter to crash started with a failure of the upper rail of the cabin door. An interim modification is being introduced to Pumas in RAF service while the manufacturers explore the problem more fully. The Civil Aviation Authority is aware of the circumstances of the RAF accident. United Kingdom civil operators of the Puma have been informed by the manufacturers and instructed to carry out an inspection on their aircraft.