FAA orders flight manual change after crash off Newfoundland

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has issued a directive to change the rotorcraft flight manual for the Sikorsky 92-A chopper, the same model involved in a deadly crash off Newfoundland earlier this year.

The American regulator says the change to the manual is required because some normal and emergency procedures involving the main gearbox may be unclear following the March 12 crash that killed 17 people.

The regulator says changes to the manual procedures are intended to clarify those procedures to give crew members the best available information in the event of any main gearbox failure.

Shortly after the crash, the regulator issued an emergency directive stating that the titanium mounting studs on the main gearbox filter assembly must be replaced with steel ones before the Sikorsky 92-As could fly again.

A month ago, those choppers resumed carrying workers to Newfoundland's offshore oil platforms.

The Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash and a public inquiry has been launched to review offshore worker safety conditions.