ICARUS Aero Inc. of Gravenhurst, Ontario, has launched its Cabin Door Handle Kit for the Leonardo AW139 helicopter, which provides a secure locking mechanism for the rear cabin left- and right-side sliding doors.
The kit, which includes a “door closed” sensor with indication available to the pilot, addresses reported instances of unintended door opening situations while in flight that could lead to potentially dangerous fight conditions.
“The Cabin Door Handle Kit provides a more secure way of closing the door and provides full awareness to the pilot with respect to the door open/closed position, as well as full awareness during flight,” said ICARUS founder Ryan Hader. “Overall it creates a safer and more efficient flight environment.”
The field-installable kit utilizes standard tools and processes and comes with all the parts required for both cabin side doors, as well as concise installation instructions.
The kit includes the addition of a fixed center interior door handle to improve door-closing action and increase door-closing force. It also includes the addition of a discrete switch to ensure the fully-closed door condition is available to pilot.
The AW139 Cabin Door Handle Kit has received supplemental type certification from Transport Canada and the FAA for both cabin side doors. It has no flight limitations and no impact on emergency egress.
ICARUS Aero is a Transport Canada, FAA and EASA approved design, certification and manufacturing organization that specializes in aircraft modifications, engineering services, special mission aircraft conversions, logistics support and integrated kit solutions.