PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Super Puma down central North Sea Feb 2009
Old 11th Mar 2009, 19:41
  #419 (permalink)  
Sir Niall Dementia
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Do I come here often?
Posts: 898
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
DeltaNg;

I certainly have. Offshore based at the end of the last century, For 5 days the wind had been constant and we were always shuttling between the same 4 platforms. My approach, my colleague just happened to mention that I always made the same approach, same gate, speed etc. Coming alongside the deck to transition sideways and down when we got a 100ft warning. It was a low deck, but not that low and we weren't on the deck when the warning went off. We went round despite having good visual (viz about 3k in heavy rain, 30kt at night) Neither of us know what caused it, but it shook us both rigid. Aircraft a 332.

Similar aircraft 6 months later. Other pilot handling we took off and he descended fast. I took it and I reckon we missed the sea by 30'. He had become mesmerised by the lights of a different platform. Pitch black, no horizon, the rig appeared to him to move down the screen which made him think he was climbing, in fact we were descending at an increasing nose up attitude. He had little OS night experience and tried to use the external clues rather than the instruments.

Shook us both. At his suggestion we went to training and they were great. It was a new gotcha and they helped us to understand it and sent him back on his way with a good lesson learned.

Anyone remember the 214 off the Petrojarl. It was after that we had to fly a departure on instrument rating renewals which involved recovery from rearward flight. Bloody hard the first time, but an interesting exercise.
Sir Niall Dementia is offline