Helicopter Blades Damaged by Storm Otto
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Helicopter Blades Damaged by Storm Otto
Helicopter stranded on Total’s Elgin platform after blades snap during Storm Otto
https://www.energyvoice.com/oilandgas/north-sea/484468/helicopter-stranded-on-totals-elgin-platform-after-blades-snap-during-storm-otto/
https://helihub.com/2023/02/20/airbus-h175-blades-snapped-off-at-the-root/
I assumed this was an aircraft that was based offshore? But seems it took off in that storm.
The risk of the need to shutdown Offshore when outside shutdown wind limits has been there since the start. Until the mid nineties it was normal to operate with wind up to 75 kts (and a bit more if you’d just flown 3 hours to get there!)
I think they were within limits when they shutdown, but things rapidly escalated.
I think they were within limits when they shutdown, but things rapidly escalated.
What were the winds offshore? I see from Flight Radar, just a few aircraft seemed to take off on Friday morning and several turned back. Was it sea states, winds on the helideck, not enough fuel to get back against a stronger than expected headwind ?
at the point of shutdown, not outrageous I think. Just escalated quickly. Not the first time by any means. I recall a BIH S61 in the SNS having a similar experience in the early nineties.
And a BCAL S61 I believe in the NN sea in '82 I think it was. They had to shut down after a hard hat went into the blades and the subsequent shutdown took out the top of the cockpit, throttle quadrant, and the tail.
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There aren't photos in the article, but I have seen some floating around. A very sorry looking 175 with I think two blades still remaining but damaged, and 3 blades snapped off near the hub. Would be interested to know what wind speeds they experienced to cause that level of damage.
How long would it take to have flown back 130nm into a 60kt - 70kt headwind? That would have been a long flight home.
The text from the Energy Voice article below
Helicopter stranded on Total’s Elgin platform after blades snap during Storm Otto
A helicopter has been left stranded onboard TotalEnergies’ Elgin platform after storm winds ripped off several of its rotor blades.
The Airbus H175 operated by Offshore Helicopter Services UK (OHS) suffered severe damage during Storm Otto, which last week left thousands of homes without power and grounded dozens of offshore flights.
Aircraft G-MCSH flew around 130 miles to the Elgin-Franklin complex east of Aberdeen on Friday 17 February, departing just before 7:30am.
The aircraft landed safely but an illuminated tail rotor chip light prevented it from departing for its return journey.
While the chopper was parked on the helipad, storm gusts – which reached in excess of 100mph in the north east – then snapped off three of its five blades close to where they meet the main rotor mast.
The extent of the damage means the airframe will require airlifting back to Aberdeen to be repaired.
A spokesperson for OHS said: “An H175 experienced a technical problem while on board a platform. Subsequently, strong winds resulted in some damage to the helicopter.
“We are working with our client and recovery partners to return the aircraft to base as soon as there is a weather window that will allow us to do so.”
Despite the grounded aircraft, platform operator TotalEnergies (PAR:TTE) confirmed there is sufficient space on the helipad to allow other helicopters to land and take off as normal.
A spokesperson for the French supermajor added: “Following a preventative system warning, the helicopter crew elected to shut down on the Elgin platform. Subsequently, strong winds resulted in some damage to the helicopter.
“All personnel are safe.”
The UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) confirmed it was investigating the incident.
A spokesperson for the organisation added: “The AAIB is investigating an occurrence involving a helicopter on the Elgin oil platform. Inspectors are in the process of gathering evidence about the circumstances of this event, and a report will be published on the AAIB website once the investigation is complete.”
“The helicopter operator and platform operator, TotalEnergies, would have been well aware of the pending storm and the risks of having an exposed helicopter sitting on the deck. That said, there were few if any other options open to the operators,” he noted.
“Whether the risk of blades being snapped off featured as a risk will no doubt form part of the investigation. There is also the obvious potential for that debris to be blown across the installation causing damage and or injury and again I expect this will also feature in the investigation.
“Thankfully this is a rare event, I can’t recall a previous instance of blades being ripped off a helicopter in this way, so lessons will be learnt.”
The sale, expected to complete in the coming months, was forced by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) after it flagged concerns CHC’s takeover of Babcock would “significantly reduce rivalry” in the North Sea.
The incident comes amid an already tightening market for aircraft in the North Sea, with H175s already at or near full utilisation, according to a report last year from Air & Sea Analytics.
According to aviation blog Heli Hub, OHS had already sent another H175 to an Airbus base in Spain for corrosion proofing work, which will remove it from its service for “at least nine months.”
A third aircraft is nearing the completion of the same overhaul and could be returned to the sector soon.
How long would it take to have flown back 130nm into a 60kt - 70kt headwind? That would have been a long flight home.
The text from the Energy Voice article below
Helicopter stranded on Total’s Elgin platform after blades snap during Storm Otto
A helicopter has been left stranded onboard TotalEnergies’ Elgin platform after storm winds ripped off several of its rotor blades.
The Airbus H175 operated by Offshore Helicopter Services UK (OHS) suffered severe damage during Storm Otto, which last week left thousands of homes without power and grounded dozens of offshore flights.
Aircraft G-MCSH flew around 130 miles to the Elgin-Franklin complex east of Aberdeen on Friday 17 February, departing just before 7:30am.
The aircraft landed safely but an illuminated tail rotor chip light prevented it from departing for its return journey.
While the chopper was parked on the helipad, storm gusts – which reached in excess of 100mph in the north east – then snapped off three of its five blades close to where they meet the main rotor mast.
The extent of the damage means the airframe will require airlifting back to Aberdeen to be repaired.
A spokesperson for OHS said: “An H175 experienced a technical problem while on board a platform. Subsequently, strong winds resulted in some damage to the helicopter.
“We are working with our client and recovery partners to return the aircraft to base as soon as there is a weather window that will allow us to do so.”
Despite the grounded aircraft, platform operator TotalEnergies (PAR:TTE) confirmed there is sufficient space on the helipad to allow other helicopters to land and take off as normal.
A spokesperson for the French supermajor added: “Following a preventative system warning, the helicopter crew elected to shut down on the Elgin platform. Subsequently, strong winds resulted in some damage to the helicopter.
“All personnel are safe.”
The UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) confirmed it was investigating the incident.
A spokesperson for the organisation added: “The AAIB is investigating an occurrence involving a helicopter on the Elgin oil platform. Inspectors are in the process of gathering evidence about the circumstances of this event, and a report will be published on the AAIB website once the investigation is complete.”
‘A rare event’
RMT union organiser Jake Molloy said the outcome of the incident was “shocking” but that the right safety steps had been taken in grounding the aircraft initially.“The helicopter operator and platform operator, TotalEnergies, would have been well aware of the pending storm and the risks of having an exposed helicopter sitting on the deck. That said, there were few if any other options open to the operators,” he noted.
“Whether the risk of blades being snapped off featured as a risk will no doubt form part of the investigation. There is also the obvious potential for that debris to be blown across the installation causing damage and or injury and again I expect this will also feature in the investigation.
“Thankfully this is a rare event, I can’t recall a previous instance of blades being ripped off a helicopter in this way, so lessons will be learnt.”
OHS and CHC
OHS – formerly the UK business of Babcock International – is in the process of being sold to South African firm Ultimate Aviation Group following a deal struck in December.The sale, expected to complete in the coming months, was forced by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) after it flagged concerns CHC’s takeover of Babcock would “significantly reduce rivalry” in the North Sea.
The incident comes amid an already tightening market for aircraft in the North Sea, with H175s already at or near full utilisation, according to a report last year from Air & Sea Analytics.
According to aviation blog Heli Hub, OHS had already sent another H175 to an Airbus base in Spain for corrosion proofing work, which will remove it from its service for “at least nine months.”
A third aircraft is nearing the completion of the same overhaul and could be returned to the sector soon.
Jake Molloy thought it was "shocking". Would he have any words left if something bad had actually happened? The only "shocking" thing will be the bill for parts and recovery!
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I think for a lay person it's a reasonable use of the literal meaning of the word. If an aeroplane was parked on the ramp and the wings blew off, I think we'd all be a bit "shocked"!
The above probably qualifies for a caption competition!
Seen pics of an S-76B that looked pretty much the same in similar circumstances but not O&G. The aircraft was fully serviceable prior to the event though.
Static blade strength is often misunderstood I think. I know the S92 underwent a rotors start/stop envelope expansion trial, using the NASA Ames wind tunnel. It was unsuccessful because the limiting factor was static blade root bending moment stresses, and nothing to do with rotor flapping etc during the engagement/braking.
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Main Rotor Blade Integrity.
Main rotor blades require C.F. stiffening in flight to remain integral. I once saw an episode of Air Wolf where they (directors, producers, actors) demonstrated through the magic of television the act of pushing the modified Bell 222 out the back of a cargo plane with pilot and copilot onboard and started her up while in free-fall. This is not going to be possible as the blades would fold up (with no C.F. load) and fracture at about the same spanwise location as the photos depicted of the rotor hub on the oil derrick. Impacting the landing deck due to winds pushing the fuselage over would also result in the inboard blade fractures. Not sure if the winds caused the non-rotating blades to elevate due the wind causing lift or if the fuselage rolled and the blades impacted local platform structure. Otter's opinion, fire away.
To be correct, its CP force - CF is an imaginary force…..