TORONTO – The Sikorsky S7-6 helicopter model involved in Friday’s fatal Ornge air ambulance crash has a long history in air search and rescue operations worldwide. Here are some facts about the Sikorsky S-76 Helicopter:
– The helicopter was manufactured by the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, which was originally founded in 1925 by Igor Sikorsky in Long Island, NY, as the Sikorsky Manufacturing Corporation.
– The first Sikorsky S-76 model, the S-76A, was manufactured in 1977; there have been six iterations since then, the most recent being the S-76D;
– The helicopter involved in the crash was a Model S-76A, manufactured in 1980.
– ORNGE currently owns six Sikorsky S-76 aircraft.
– According to its website, Ornge currently has been assigned a platinum rating, by ARGUS International, a Cincinnati-based company specializing in the aviation sector, particularly regarding information gathering and risk management. Platinum is the highest ranking given by ARGUS.
-In a section of its website labelled “Safety”, Ornge says that it has an experienced aviation team in charge of maintaining their aircraft fleet. In this same section, Ornge went on to say that:
“The PC-12 NG aircraft was proven to be the most suitable and safest aircraft for the Ornge operation and mission profile, and it has exceeded all expectations. Likewise, the AW-139 and Sikorsky S-76 helicopters continue to demonstrate the highest levels of safety engineering.”
307 – total number of Sikorsky S-76A and S-76A+ helicopters built
109 – The current number of platinum Argus-rated operators as of May 31, 2013
Comments