Helicopter crash raises questions about operator – Union calls for grounding

The recent crash of a Bond Aviation-operated Eurocopter helicopter in the UK North Sea has lead to the UK’s largest offshore workers union calling for a grounding of all helicopters operated by Bond whilst the investigation into the crash continues. All 14 passengers and crew survived the crash.

Jake Molloy, regional organiser for RMT OILC, said, “While we are delighted that everyone on board is safe, there are obvious concerns when another Bond helicopter lands in the water.” In 2009 Bond Aviation helicopters were involved in two crashes, one of which killed 16 people and another where 18 people survived.

The Union, Unite, raised similar concerns, “Unite the union is concerned that there have been problems with helicopter engines recently that haven’t been reported to the Helicopter Steering Group … Obviously the reason for the ditching has to be investigated, but Unite is calling for an urgent meeting of the Helicopter Steering Group to be convened.”

Despite cancelling all offshore flights on the day of the crash, Bond Aviation stated that it had no intention of grounding its fleet of helicopters for an extended period. A spokesman for Bond said, “Right now, our priority is our passengers and pilots … Of course, we will be checking with the helicopter manufacturer to better understand what has happened.”

Police Investigation

The results from an inquiry into the cause of this most recent crash may well be used in an ongoing police investigation that was launched after the crash of 1 April 2009, that killed 16 people. This incident was reportedly caused by a gearbox failure.

Ashley Roy, Bond’s director of commercial services defended the company’s safety record, stating that whilst this was the third crash in as many years, “Thousands of hours are flown offshore in helicopters every year … Bond itself conducts over 40 000 flying hours per annum.” It was also mentioned that the company performs daily maintenance checks on its aircraft.

Roy stated that the decision to ditch was taken after the pilot noticed an oil pressure warning light and sent out a mayday signal after 15 minutes of flight. He also mentioned that whilst it was too soon to rule out engine failure as the cause of the crash, it remained unlikely.

Edited from various sources by David Bizley

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/drilling-and-production/11052012/helicopter_crash_raises_questions_about_operator/