United Technologies Corp. reportedly agreed to settle a lawsuit by Canadian plaintiffs in the March 2009 crash of a Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.-built helicopter that killed 17 people.
Several sources cited a plaintiffs”™ attorney that a settlement in principle had been reached, without specifying the amount.
Sikorsky is based in Stratford and is a division of Hartford-based UTC. The helicopter was powered by engines from Fairfield-based General Electric Co.
Operated by Newfoundland-based Cougar Helicopters, the Sikorsky S-92A helicopter crashed off the coast of the Canadian province last March during a flight to ferry workers to an oil rig. One passenger survived, of 16 passengers and two crew members aboard the aircraft.
Investigators have focused their attention on the main gear box, which may have lost oil pressure causing a failure in the tail rotor.
The Stratford aircraft maker recently signed an agreement with AAR, a service and product provider based in Wood Dale, Ill., with a location in Windsor, to continue and expand their partnership. AAR was named the exclusive supplier of composite interiors for the Sikorsky S-92 helicopter program and will provide precision machining services for S-92 helicopter flooring and a structural component of the H-60 helicopter airframe.
The fabrication of S-92 Offshore-Airline helicopter composite interiors will be performed by AAR Composites.
AAR is already a contracted supplier of composite components for the Sikorsky S-92 and H-92.
