What happened
On May 11, 2016, an EC 1CO P2+ helicopter, operating a HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Service) mission, experienced a malfunction of its digital mapping system. While en route to Świętajno, the pilot observed a "NO MAP" error message on the SMD-68 screen, indicating that the EURONAV IV system was not functioning correctly. Because all other aircraft systems and instruments were operating normally, the pilot decided to proceed with the medical mission.
The flight and subsequent landing in Świętajno were completed without further incident. After picking up the patient and restarting the engines, the pilot noted that the "NO MAP" error persisted. During the return flight to Olsztyn, the system eventually initialized with a significant delay and functioned correctly until the aircraft landed at the hospital helipad. Following the patient handover, the crew returned to the HEMS base in Olsztyn, where the system continued to operate normally until the engines were shut down.
The investigation
The pilot reported the system malfunction to the Technical Coordination Center. Following the report, maintenance personnel inspected the aircraft and identified a failure within the RN6 unit of the EURONAV IV system.
Technical staff determined that the RN6 block (P/N 257.011-001, S/N RN6-00689) was defective. On May 12, 2016, the faulty unit was removed in accordance with the approved maintenance manual (AVM 31-68-01) and replaced with a functional RN6 block (P/N 257.011-001, S/N RN6-00873). After successful system testing, the aircraft was returned to full service.
Findings
- The malfunction was caused by an electronic failure of the RN6 block's main circuit board.
- The aircraft was able to complete its mission safely because the failure was isolated to the digital map display and did not affect other critical flight systems.