VIDEO: CHC helicopter rotor breaks off before the crash in Norway

An amateur video has started circling the internet following the fatal oil rig helicopter crash, in Turoy, near Bergen on Friday.

The video above apparently shows the rotor and propellers of the aircraft spinning in the air, after detaching from the CHC-operated helicopter, right before the crash.

Thirteen people died in the crash, two pilots and eleven passengers.

The UK and Norwegian civil aviation authorities have banned all the helicopters of the Airbus EC225 Super Puma type from flying, except those involved in search and rescue operations.

Apart from this, thousands of people have signed a petition calling for the retirement of the ill-fated helicopter type, as this is not the first time such an aircraft has been involved in a fatal crash.

However, while the EC225 aircraft are grounded in the UK and Norway, Airbus, the manufacturer, said on Sunday that Airbus Helicopters’ decision, “at this stage, is to not suspend flights of any nature for the EC225LP.”

“However, out of respect for all those affected by the accident, Airbus Helicopters continues to stand by the decision taken by the Norwegian and UK authorities to put commercial EC225LP passenger flights on hold in Norway and in the UK.”

The company said it would provide more info in the coming days as investigations are progressing.

The Norwegian Accident Investigation Board said the UK AAIB has managed to retrieve data Flight Data and Cockpit Voice Recorders, which had been sent to England following the retreival on Friday.

The investigation board said data was of good quality and was sent to Norway for analysis.

As for the aircraft, the helicopter wreckage was retrieved from land and the sea bottom Saturday and was then transferred to Haakonsvern naval base (Bergen) by ship for further investigation.

Offshore Energy Today Staff