Preliminary report
 

A brief preliminary report has been posted on the AIBN website.

Reminds me of the Canadian Bo105 accident a year or so ago - perfectly surviveable ditching with all egressing before the aircraft sank, then sucumbing to the cold due to inadequate equipment (suits, rafts, jackets)!

Welcome to the helicopter industry that is outside the highly internally regulated offshore world, which is without the economic leverage to add that kind of operating cost. 2 km out over water is nothing, we'll hover a Bell 47 on skids out there, crossing a 30 mile stretch in Jetranger the same, and we all know that a 100 yards from shore in winter nobody is going to make it, lifejacket or not. More interesting is why a multi-crew multi-engine helicopter would go in the water in the first place, a question that hasn't been answered yet and that seems to elude even the North Sea offshore industry to this day.

Especially since according to the report Life Jackets were on board but not used. Indicating that there must have been a surprise element to the ditching.


Possibly still some kind of loss of Control which maybe was recovered just before contact with the water. Or unprepared autorotation from low altitude -for whatever reason. Strange.

212 Man,

Are you referring to the accident of C-GCFU in the Mc'Lure Strait in DEC 2013?
If so it was not a ditching, it was flown into the water at speed due to lack of visual cues.

Interesting read, from what they said about the CVR download seems like a CFIT accident. Possibly descended (gently)into the water in low visibility conditions? That would explain the minimal damage and the fact nobody was wearing life jackets. One moment you're flying the next thing you know the thing is sinking and you're in sub zero water... no time to react.

The SAR aircraft reported poor vis during the search too. I'll be interested to rad the final report.

The Norwegians don’t seem to be having much luck with heavy helicopters in these last few years.

Think you'll find that this accident is a Russian helicopter and operator...

Ok.... I’ll rephrase it:
They don’t seem to be having much luck with heavy helicopters in Norway.

Makes about as much sense as the Italians having problems with the ''waterproofing'' flight testing of their NH90's......

I was, and thanks for the correction although my assertion that the water contact was survivable and that the occupants egressed successfully was correct. Aviation Investigation Report A13H0002 - Transportation Safety Board of Canada

sorry, I have no info about that one

"why do you need floats if you have 2 engines?"

Think the answer is probably the MI-8 does not float well. Its also nice to be able to buy some time to get into a raft in freezing water. Looks like maybe they had neither.

The final report is out today.