We all dread boarding the helicopter every trip we make

OIL workers may call the flights to and from the platforms “the milk run,” because thousands take place every year, but they are far from routine.

WAIT Police stand guard at Aberdeen harbour as they await a boat carrying bodies from the scene of WAIT: Police stand guard at Aberdeen harbour as they await a boat carrying bodies from the scene of

For the 18,000 offshore workers in the UK’s oil and gas industry, it is an uncomfortable, sometimes bumpy and potentially dangerous, journey that many still dread.

One Aberdeen-based oilman with 10 years experience said: “I cannot think of anyone who looks forward to getting on board the chopper after their two weeks on or offshore.

“There is nothing remotely glamorous about being in a noisy aircraft with a life jacket over a tight safety suit and sitting like that for more than two hours.

“Everyone who leaves the industry says the same thing, ‘Thank goodness I won’t have to go near another helicopter again’.

“Lots of guys who work with me are actually terrified, even under normal circumstances. God knows how they feel now after two crashes involving the same type of helicopter in a matter of weeks.” The Super Puma is a regular on rig runs and is known as the “workhorse of the North Sea”. Those who know them give the craft 100 per cent backing.

Terrified Gearbox

“The oilmen and pilots tell me they like this helicopter because it is very powerful, but, more importantly, it has a first-class safety record and is very well looked after,” said Aberdeen aviation expert Jim Ferguson.

Dr Simon Mitchell, who has logged 5,400 helicopter flying hours and is now aviation director with an international research firm, added: “The safety record of these helicopters is as good as that of conventional aircraft, but what will concern investigators is that the accident happened when it was cruising, not landing or taking off.”

The Bond Super Puma AS332 Mark-2 involved in yesterday’s tragedy, had completed more than 10,000 accident-free flying hours, according to its owners, and is an older model of the Mark-3, which ditched in the North Sea six weeks ago.

It is believed the helicopter was at cruising speed when it crashed, meaning it may have been going as fast as 280km/h as it hit the water.

The fact that the crew had enough time to put out a Mayday call suggests there was no sudden catastrophic failure.

But the fact that they were unable to prevent the helicopter from ditching means that they were in serious difficulties.

David Learmount, operations and safety editor of Flight International magazine, said: “Even when the water is not very choppy, it is very difficult to keep helicopters afloat once they put down.

“All the weight of a helicopter is on the roof. You have the rotor, the engines and the gearbox. It does not take much to turn the aircraft over.

“These two-engined helicopters can fly on just one, but a gearbox problem can be very serious. There is a mass of opposing forces on a helicopter. It is naturally unstable, unlike a conventional plane which is naturally stable.”

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