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Probe links Airbus H160 ditching off Brazil to pitch‑change rod rupture and bearing fatigue

Brazilian investigators say a rupture in the pitch‑change rod assembly caused an Omni Táxi Aéreo Airbus H160 to ditch off Brazil in January and are probing fatigue and overload in control‑rod bearings as the likely failure mechanism. They have disclosed the event sequence but not a definitive root cause.

Discovered 2026-01-27T07:19:18.764983-08:00 | 2026-01-27T07:19:18.764983-08:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

Investigators identified a pitch‑change rod assembly rupture as the initiating failure in the H160’s January ditching and are examining fatigue and overload in control‑rod bearings—findings that will define inspection scopes and maintenance priorities for H160 operators and maintainers.
The probe has disclosed the sequence of events but not a definitive root cause; this sits alongside Airbus Helicopters' moves to scale composite rotor‑hub and blade production (source:6ed6174d-4b22-4854-a67c-20e00e30afcb) and recent H160 fleet growth and new operators (source:bb83ff96-8c7f-43ce-bf0f-679ba644d815), which provide manufacturing and operational context for potential airworthiness actions.

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