Investigators probing two separate ditchings of Super Puma helicopters in the North Sea have called for tighter regulations around the technology used by rescuers to locate survivors in the event of an aircraft crash
9th May 2013
In May, all 14 passengers and crew members on a Super Puma were rescued after the craft came down off the coast of Aberdeen. It was on a scheduled flight from Aberdeen Airport to a platform in the North Sea.
The model was thrust into the spotlight again in October when a CHC-owned helicopter was forced to ditch while carrying an oil crew from Aberdeen to a rig 86 miles north-west of Shetland. The 17 passengers and two crew were rescued and escaped injury.
An earlier AAIB bulletin blamed a problem in the aircraft's gearbox for the crash.
Today, the AAIB report warns water flooding the cabin may have caused the CPI to cut-out in the May ditching, and that improvements were needed to ensure search parties could locate a helicopter and its passengers if ditchings occur in future.
CPI is a "primary location aid" which transmits a beacon signal that can be detected by satellites, pinpointing a stricken aircraft's location.
In the first crash, the AAIB reports that CPI – supposed to be water-activated – was not triggered, possibly due to electrical failures.
The report said: "Photographs show the water level in the cabin was above the level of the water activated switch. While further work is required to support any final conclusions, issues relating to the continuity of the helicopter wiring when submerged, the design of the water activated switch and the location of the water activated switch relative to the water level following the ditching are being investigated as possible causes for the non-deployment of the CPI."
More:
Call for review of Super Puma safety feature | Herald Scotland