Robinson R44 helicopters that have not been fitted with upgraded fuel tanks will be grounded tomorrow, six weeks after a tragic crash at Bulli which killed four people.
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The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) issued an ultimatum to operators earlier this month, warning that R44 helicopters would be grounded on May 1 if changes were not made to the choppers’ fuel tanks.
CASA has directed R44 operators to fit their choppers with flexible, bladder-type fuel tanks, which reduce the risk of fire after an accident
The order followed a preliminary investigation into the helicopter crash at Bulli Tops on March 21. Four CSIRO scientists were killed after the chopper struck a tree and burst into flames. The helicopter was not fitted with a flexible fuel tank.
The authority found that the crash was similar to two other accidents involving R44 helicopters, including one at Jaspers Brush in February 2012 which killed film producer Andrew Wight and filmmaker Mike deGruy.
The helicopter involved in the Jaspers Brush crash had an all-aluminum fuel tank which ruptured, causing a fire.
The preliminary report into the Bulli Tops crash said it was the third accident with "similar characteristics and a tragic outcome".
Operators of R44 helicopters were first told of the need to implement the flexible fuel tanks in December 2010 when manufacturer Robinson issued a service bulletin. CASA has written several letters to operators urging them to implement the change and notify the authority of the upgrade.
More than 170 R44 operators have still not provided the notification to the authority, CASA said.
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