EC225 Subject of Yet Another Gearbox Airworthiness Directive

The EASA has issued a new emergency AD on the Eurocopter EC225, requiring crews to land or ditch immediately if the main gearbox’s back-up lubrication system activates. “Investigations on the [emergency lubrication] system have revealed an area of the flight envelope in which the [system’s] performance is different from that assumed during certification,” the EASA said. The system was designed to allow for 30 minutes of flight after loss of oil lubrication.