The Army Is Inspecting Its Entire Apache Helicopter Fleet for a Critical Defect
The Army has ordered aviation techs to widen their search for a broken part [4] that can send Apache helicopter rotors catastrophically ripping loose mid-flight, according to documents obtained by Task & Purpose, a terrifying defect that has resulted in recent deadly Apache mishaps.
In April, Defense News reported [5] the Pentagon ceased accepting deliveries of the AH-64E ‘Echo’ Apache months earlier due to a “critical†safety issue over the copter’s strap pack nut, the component that keeps the rotor blades from separating from the airframe. But a February Army Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM) guidance goes even further by explicitly expanding new inspections from Army aircraft flown in “severe coastal†areas to include “all AH-64 aircraft, regardless of location.â€
Source URL (retrieved on May 21, 2018):
http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/the-army-inspecting-its-entire-apache-helicopter-fleet-25865
