Shetland helicopter crash: Safety advice ignored
HIGH-level flotation devices, which could have saved the four victims of Friday’s Super Puma disaster, were not fitted to North Sea helicopters despite a recommendation from the government’s Civil Aviation Authority eight years ago, it was revealed last night.
The potentially life-saving kit was designed to stop crashed helicopters from “rolling over, completely inverted” and retain an air pocket to help passengers escape.
The use of the devices was recommended in a major review of helicopter ditching and crash-worthiness research in the UK Continental Shelf. But it was never followed through, the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) disclosed yesterday.
The CAA report, published in December 2005, concluded: “The single most effective means of improving occupant survival in the event of a post-ditching capsize or a survivable water impact is through the provision of additional flotation devices to prevent total inversion following capsize.”
Captain Mike Buckley, Balpa’s spokesman on helicopters, revealed details of the failure to implement the system as the
pilots’ union yesterday called for an industry-wide review of helicopter safety in the North Sea. The union is demanding a review to explore why helicopter operations in the Norwegian sector, which share the same geographic operational area, have a better safety record than helicopter flights in the UK Continental Shelf.
Shetland helicopter crash: Safety advice ignored - Transport - The Scotsman