Helicopter lands safely at Aberdeen Airport
Aircraft was Super Puma of type involved in North Sea accident two years ago
Airport alert after helicopter is hit by gearbox problem
By declan harte
Published: 05/01/2011
Emergency services were called to Aberdeen Airport yesterday after reports that an incoming Super Puma helicopter had a gearbox problem.
The aircraft, returning from the Forties field in the North Sea, landed safely at the Dyce airport at about 2.30pm.
It was the same AS332L2 model that was involved in a crash that killed 16 people off the north-east coast almost two years ago after a catastrophic gearbox failure.
Police, paramedics, firefighters and the coastguard were all put on alert when a full emergency was declared, caused by the helicopter’s crew noticing a warning light in the cockpit.
A coastguard spokeswoman said: “The helicopter was about 40 miles north-east of Aberdeen when the airport’s air traffic control contacted us at around 2.10pm.
“It was having some gear-box problems.
“The helicopter landed safely at Aberdeen Airport at around 2.30pm.
“A lifeboat crew was all kitted out and ready to go out, but they did not have to leave the harbour.”
The CHC Scotia-operated helicopter had 12 passengers and two crew members on board when the alarm was raised.
A fire service spokeswoman said: “There was a full emergency involving a helicopter at Aberdeen Airport, but it landed safely.
“It was believed that there was a fault with its hydraulic gearbox.
“We got called out just in case, but weren’t required to do anything.”
A CHC Scotia helicopter spokesman said: “There was a warning light in the helicopter that the crew noticed. Obviously with helicopters, an alert must be put out in case there is a problem.”
An AS332L2 Super Puma crashed in the North Sea, 14 miles from Peterhead, on April 1, 2008, killing all 16 people on board.
The accident came after an EC225LP model of the Super Puma ditched in the North Sea 120 miles east of Aberdeen on February 18. All 18 men on board survived.
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