HC Deb 30 October 2001 vol 373 cc564-5W
Mr. Key

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list(a) by date and (b) by aircraft serial number, all incidents of uncommanded flight control movements in Chinook helicopters since 1 January 1999: and what their cause was. [10638]

Mr. Ingram

Uncommanded movements are defined as an unusual movement of flying controls or rotors that are not caused by pilot inputs.

The table lists the incidents of uncommanded flying control movements in Chinook helicopters since 1 January 1999 and their determined causes.

Uncommanded flying control movements in Chinook aircraft since 1999
Date Tail number Cause
1999
12 March ZA712 Faulty AFCS
17 March ZA718 Faulty DASH actuator and directional gyro
20 April ZD983 Directional gyro out of tolerance
29 April ZH775 Faulty AFCS and directional gyro
14 June ZA718 Faulty directional gyro
29 July ZA718 Faulty AFCS and directional gyro
29 October ZA711 Faulty directional gyro
18 November ZA711 Faulty directional gyro
2000
6 January ZA714 Faulty AFCS
6 January ZA718 Faulty AFCS
11 February ZA682 Faulty vertical gyro
4 April ZA682 Faulty DASH actuator gear assembly
5 April ZA679 Faulty DASH actuator
5 April ZA684 Faulty directional gyro connector
Uncommanded flying control movements in Chinook aircraft since 1999
Date Tail number Cause
30 May ZA710 Faulty AFCS
24 July ZA679 Faulty AFCS and DASH actuator
5 August ZA674 Faulty cables to AFCS
9 November ZA671 Faulty vertical gyro
12 November ZA671 Faulty AFCS
2001
17 January ZH777 Units replaced following pitch oscillations
1 March ZA709 Faulty directional gyro
1 May ZA674 Faulty directional gyro
24 May ZA680 Faulty lower control actuators
5 July ZD981 Faulty attitude indicator
Mr. Key

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list each occasion on which pilots have temporarily lost control of RAF Chinook helicopters during an uncommanded flying control movement. [10637]

Mr. Ingram

No such instances have occurred. Aircrew have retained full control of the aircraft whenever an uncommanded flying control movement has taken place by successfully mitigating the effects of the control movement.

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