Coastguard chopper forced to make emergency landing - Stornoway Today
Coastguard chopper forced to make emergency landing
THE NORTH WEST of Scotland was left without Coastguard emergency search and rescue helicopter service this week when one of the Stornoway based Coastguard choppers was forced to make an emergency landing.
At around midnight on Monday night, the S92 aircraft made an unscheduled landing in a field north of Glasgow whilst transporting a patient to hospital.
The landing came after indications from an alarm of a possible fire in one of its two engines.
The medical evacuation was later completed as the helicopter returned to its mission with the affected engine shut down.
Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokesperson Fiona Warren expanded: "The S92 from Stornoway was tasked to two medical evacuations last night.
"On scene, the aircrafts was forced to put down between Lochgilphead and Glasgow due to fire alarm activation. The medical evacuation was completed on one engine."
She added: "Unfortunately the spare aircraft cannot be used since it also has mechanical problems."
With the second aircraft out of commissions, the drama left much of the northwest Scottish coast and islands without Coastguard cover until 9pm on Tuesday.
Cover is provided – as a matter of routine in such situations – by RAF Lossiemouth and the HMS Gannet Royal Navy base at Prestwick.
After engineers completed work on the S92 on Tuesday afternoon, the aircraft then returned to Stornoway and was serviceable later that day.