16 die in North Sea tragedy but the helicopters fly on

Published on Wednesday 1 April 2009 22:10

TWO pilots and 14 oil workers were killed yesterday in the worst helicopter disaster in the North Sea for two decades. Their Super Puma plunged into the sea off the north-east of Scotland in perfect weather conditions and disintegrated on impact.

The commander of the aircraft flashed out a brief mayday message at 1:57pm, seconds before the helicopter fell from the sky.

The operator, Bond Helicopters, has a further six aircraft of the same model, and Jake Molloy, the leader of the oil workers' union, said they should be grounded. "In light of this incident, it would be appropriate to ground that model and find out what caused the incident before they are used again," he said.

But the firm has no plans to do so. Bill Munro, of Bond Helicopters, said: "We still have confidence in the Super Puma helicopter. Over 700 are operated worldwide. There is no indication to suggest a mechanical failure on the aircraft."

The crash was witnessed by the crew of the Normand Aurora, a North Sea support vessel, which was only three miles away. They immediately raised the alarm.

One eyewitness said: "There was no sign of the main fuselage of the helicopter anywhere. It must have sunk soon after the crash ... All we could see were pieces of wreckage, two liferafts and bodies in yellow and black survival suits floating on the surface. It was a terrible scene."

Eight bodies had been recovered from the scene as darkness fell, leaving another eight people still unaccounted for. But in seas where the temperature was only 8C, emergency services admitted there was no prospect of anyone having survived. The search was suspended at 10pm last night, and was due to resume at first light this morning.

A spokesman for Grampian Police last night said arrangements were being made to return the recovered bodies by boat to Aberdeen.

Most of the men on the helicopter had been production drillers for the contractor KCA Deutag. Their aircraft had been due to land at 2:15pm at an Aberdeen heliport after what should have been a routine crew-change flight to BP's Miller platform, 168 miles north-east.

As the offshore industry – which has a workforce of around 18,000 – struggled to come to terms with the tragedy, the speed at which the helicopter came down pointed to possible mechanical or technical failure.

The aircraft that crashed was a Super Puma AS333L Mark II – an earlier version of a Super Puma EC225 that crashed in dense fog in the North Sea on 18 February.

Chris Allen, the health, safety, social and environment director of Oil & Gas UK, an industry body, said: "This is a dark day. It is hard to comprehend how this could have happened.

"We will work with the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB], BP and Bond Helicopters to learn everything possible from the investigations that will follow and ensure any lessons are shared across the industry."

The Queen sent a message of sympathy last night.

Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, said: "This has been a tragic day in the North Sea and my thoughts are with the relatives of those who have lost their lives in this crash."

Alex Salmond, the First Minister, who visited the Aberdeen incident room, said it appeared to have been the worst North Sea disaster involving a helicopter since the 1986 Chinook tragedy in which 45 men died.

The MP for Banff and Buchan said: "It is an overwhelming tragedy. Across Scotland, there will be great sadness."

Mr Molloy, of the OILC section of the RMT union, said the tragedy would bring the safety of offshore helicopter flights into sharp focus.

"It is a desperate, desperate day, and obviously our thoughts are with the families of those who have been lost," he said.

"But there is a job to be done here after two incidents involving helicopters in the North Sea. These incidents are going to seriously damage the confidence that the workforce have got in helicopter safety."

He went on: "I find Bond's decision not to ground their Super Pumas an odd decision. I would have thought it would have been appropriate to look at the continued operation of those helicopters, if nothing else than to give the AAIB and CAA (Civil Aviation Authority] time to investigate and otherwise lift the confidence of the workforce, and show something is being done.

"The type of aircraft in the crash is one of the oldest still working in the North Sea, which again will raise concerns.

"But I think we have got to take a step back and look at this as objectively as we can, avoid knee-jerk reactions and see what lessons can be learned."

Mr Molloy added: "The evidence suggests the helicopter fell out of the sky, and that points to a pretty catastrophic mechanical or technical failure – one that has prevented the pilot from putting the aircraft down safely.

"You can be the best-trained and fittest individual on earth, but the likelihood of coming out of that alive is virtually nil."

The helicopter that crashed had taken off from Aberdeen at 11:35am. Weather conditions were almost ideal, with blue skies, a smattering of clouds and a seven-knot wind. The sea swell was less than half a metre.

After taking on board the 14 oil workers, the Super Puma took to the air again.

But at 1:57pm, a brief emergency message was flashed, picked up by air traffic controllers at Aberdeen, followed by silence. The helicopter had crashed 35 miles off the village of Crimond, midway between Fraserburgh and Peterhead.

The coastguard said two Sea King search and rescue helicopters – one from RAF Lossiemouth in Moray and the other from RAF Boulmer in Northumberland – had been immediately scrambled, together with a Nimrod reconnaissance aircraft from RAF Kinloss.

The RNLI lifeboats from Peterhead and Fraserburgh were also launched. The Normand Aurora was first on the scene, and it launched its fast rescue craft. The crew found only bodies in the water and no survivors.

Bill Speirs, coastal safety manager with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, said: "There were reports of a certain amount of wreckage being spotted and over a period of time eight bodies were recovered, mainly by the fast rescue craft from the Normand Aurora.

"As far I know, the wreckage that was sighted was not of any significant size and there was no mention of any major fuselage wreckage. There were two liferafts in the area. There was no-one on board."

Brian Taylor, of KCA Deutag, said: "Ten of our drilling crew were on board the chopper. Nine were from the UK."

Bernard Looney, of BP, said: "It is a very tragic incident. My sympathies and those of BP go out to families who have lost loved ones."

Politicians of all parties were united in calling for lessons to be learned from the tragedy.

Iain Gray, the Scottish Labour leader, said: "This is a bleak day for Scotland, and especially those in the oil and gas industry. There are many questions that need to be answered."

Malcolm Bruce, the Lib Dem MP for Dyce, where Bond Helicopters is based, said: "The CAA must quickly establish the safety of this aircraft and take the appropriate action, whether to reassure or suspend operations."

David Mundell, the shadow Scottish secretary, said: "It is tragedies like this which remind us of the huge price we pay for our oil and gas."

• Police say concerned relatives should call 01224 836479.

NORTH SEA TRAGEDY: MORE COVERAGE

• Workhorse of the North Sea 'must be grounded'

• Grim death tally shows risks that workers face daily

• Weather in North Sea was pretty good, so mechanical failure looks likeliest cause, say experts

• Earlier rescue averted tragedy that could have killed 18

• Parties rule out closing parliament as a mark of respect