Seven UH-60A Black Hawk assault helicopters at Schofield Barracks remain grounded following a warning of a possibly faulty transmission part. 7 Army helicopters
still groundedPossible transmission trouble is
keeping the Black Hawks downBy Gregg K. Kakesako
gkakesako@starbulletin.comThe safety message issued earlier this week by the Army Aviation and Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama grounded 960 UH-60A models. More than 500 in the UH-60L series were not affected.
The 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks uses nine UH-60A Black Hawks as part of its medical evacuation program that provides emergency ambulance service to island residents.
Capt. Stacy Bathrick, Army spokeswoman, said the nine UH-60A Black Hawks were placed back into service this week as soon as the necessary inspections were done.
The seven other UH-60As, which are used for assault and lift missions, remain grounded until the required inspections are completed.
The Army and contractor Sikorsky are working to find out why a cracked part was discovered in a transmission from a UH-60A helicopter stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C.
The problem was discovered at the Corpus Christi, Texas, repair depot.
The part, called the "planetary carrier," moves power from the engines to the rotor system and has not failed in more than 3.5 million flight hours, the Army said.
The part is usually reused, and does not have a set life expectancy before replacement.
The problem is that if the part cracks, it can lead to a series of problems that could cause oil pressure to drop, and potentially the transmission could seize up.
More than 500 Black Hawks in the UH-60L series will take up the slack while the Army and contractors try to find out why the transmission part failed. The L-series has a different gearbox.
Bathrick said the division also flies the UH-60L series.
Fifteen are stationed at Wheeler Army Air Field, and 15 were deployed to Bosnia.
The Hawaii Army National Guard also took possession last week of four UH-60L models.