Ditched Super Puma helicopter in emergency landing three weeks earlier

THE Super Puma that ditched in the North Sea last week was forced to make an emergency landing at Europe’s biggest heliport after one of its two engines failed last month, it was revealed last night.

Helicopter company Bond Aviation released details of the incident for the first time after allegations about the engine failure were raised by trade union leaders at an emergency meeting of the oil and gas industry’s Helicopter Safety Steering Group. The group was originally established in the aftermath of the Super Puma crash three years ago in which 16 passengers and crew were killed.

Jake Molloy, the offshore organiser of the RMT union, said North Sea unions had received information that the same helicopter – call sign GREDW – had been forced to make an emergency landing at Aberdeen airport after suffering an alleged engine failure.

He said he had been told by oil workers that the twin engine helicopter had suffered the engine failure on 19 April – exactly three weeks before the pilots of the Super Puma had been forced to make a controlled ditching last Thursday.

An initial bulletin issued by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch into last week’s incident has revealed that the Superb Puma EC225 helicopter had a crack in its gearbox shaft – a fault which Bond claimed last night was completely unrelated to last month’s emergency.

Mr Molloy said: “We have received information from members that this helicopter was involved in an engine failure incident during April. I have had several e-mails to that effect.

“It was en route to Aberdeen and ten minutes out from landing and then there was a violent reaction within the helicopter and the pilot announced that they had had an engine failure and were making an emergency landing.”

Last week, a senior Bond executive had claimed the company was unaware of any concerns about possible engine failures involving the Bond fleet in recent weeks. But a spokesman for the company last night confirmed that the ditched helicopter had been involved in an incident on 19 April.

He said: “They had what is called an uncommanded engine shutdown. One of the two engines actually shut down on the approach to the airport. The helicopter, which was coming back from the BP Harding field, made a conventional landing and all the passengers got off.”

He added: “There was nothing hidden about this. It was all open and reported at the time to the Civil Aviation Authority. The engine was sent away to Turbomeca, the engine manufacturers, and is being stripped down. It had nothing to do with the gearbox and is completely unrelated.”

Bond’s entire fleet of Super Pumas remained grounded yesterday as rival helicopter companies CHC and Bristow continued to fly Super Pumas on offshore crew change flights.

Mr Molloy said the latest incident had only served to heighten fears among the offshore workforce about helicopter safety.

He said: “I am not aware of anyone refusing to fly. But we have had a few people who have called to say ‘that’s it’ – they are not going back offshore.

“We got an agreement from the employers on the steering group that they will help workers who are concerned in any way that they can.”