AAIB: Heli Intact When It Hit Sea. ‘Black Box’ Still Not Found.

August 29, 2013

Air Accidents Investigation Branch has, in the wake of last Friday’s Super Puma helicopter crash off Shetland, announced that preliminary information indicates that the approach proceeded normally until approximately three miles from the Sumburgh Airport runway when there was a reduction in airspeed accompanied by an increased rate of descent.

The AS332 L2 Super Puma helicopter, owned by CHC, struck the sea approximately two miles west of the Runway 09 threshold. Four of the 18 passengers lost their lives.

“The evidence currently available suggests that the helicopter was intact and upright when it entered the water. It then rapidly inverted and drifted northwards towards Garths Ness. The helicopter was largely broken up by repeated contact with the rocky shoreline,” AAIB said in a press release issued today.

Some items of the wreckage have already been recovered and will be transported to the AAIB’s HQ in Farnborough. Attempts to recover the Combined Voice and Flight Data Recorder, together with other wreckage items, are continuing.

“This is a challenging operation due to the nature of the environment in which the wreckage is located. The investigation is ongoing and at this early stage it is not possible to identify the causal factors leading to the accident,” AAIB said.

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Helicopter Crashes Into Sea Offshore Shetland. Four Dead

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Offshore Energy Today Staff, August 29, 2013