 CORPORAL VAI KONG LO
In August 2003, Corporal Lo, an Aviation Systems Technician, was performing a routine 25-hour inspection on Griffon CH146442. The inspection consists primarily of a visual inspection of the general condition of several areas of the aircraft. While carrying out the tail rotor hub portion of the inspection, Corporal Lo went beyond the expected visual check of the lock wire condition by gently testing the torque with his fingers. He found the nut so loose that he was able to turn it by hand, with play of about 1/8 inch to the lock wire stopping point. This was possibly the last safeguard to further loosening of the nut and a potential ensuing catastrophic event.
As a result of Corporal Lo's finding, a review of current tail rotor nut torque checks and re-torque procedures and associated documentation was triggered. This further revealed that the civilian technical publications for the aircraft required a torque check every 100 hours. This was the object of a flight safety incident report number 113199. The weapon system manager at National Defence Headquarters immediately promulgated procedures and technical publication changes in order to resolve these discrepancies.
Corporal Lo's vigilance and professionalism were the key factors in averting a potentially disastrous situation and in triggering the investigative process necessary to resolve this situation. His work has contributed measurably to the safety of the Griffon fleet.
Corporal Lo serves at 438 Tactical Helicopter Squadron, CFB St. Hubert.
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