24 August 2013
Last updated at 21:03 GMT
Helicopter crash prompts safety call
All Super Puma helicopters should be grounded after a crash off Shetland claimed the lives of four people, a safety group says.- Four dead after helicopter crash
- Helicopter safety concerns raised
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Quick response 'saved lives'
A Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma L2 variant - the same model as the CHC operated helicopter that crashed in the North Sea on Friday
All Super Puma helicopters should be grounded after a crash off Shetland claimed the lives of four people, a safety group says.The Helicopter Safety Steering Group (HSSG) said this should include four different models.
Earlier CHC, which operated the helicopter that crashed two miles west of Sumburgh Airport on Friday, said it would suspend Super Puma L2 flights.
An investigation has not yet established the cause of the tragedy.
Three of the four bodies have been recovered. Police Scotland confirmed 14 others were rescued.
Coastguard authorities say they are unlikely to recover the wreckage in the dark or in current weather conditions.
The HSSG is recommending the temporary suspension of all Super Puma commercial passenger flights to and from offshore oil and gas installations within the UK.
It said it would meet again on Wednesday to review its position, and would reconvene before then if any significant information came to light.
The Super Puma series of helicopters includes the variants: AS332 L, L1, L2 and EC225.
Continue reading the main storyPREVIOUS NORTH SEA INCIDENTS
- October 2012 - All 19 people on board a Super Puma EC 225 were rescued safely after it put down in the sea off Shetland. The incident was caused by a cracked shaft in the main gearbox.
- May 2012 - All 14 people on board a Super Puma EC 225 were rescued when it came down about 30 miles off the coast of Aberdeen during a flight to an oil rig.
- April 2009 - All 14 passengers and two crew on board a Super Puma AS332L2 lost their lives after it came down in the North Sea. Eight of the victims came from the north east of Scotland, seven from the rest of the UK, and one from Latvia. A fatal accident inquiry is planned for October.
- February 2009 - A Super Puma EC225 ditched in fog a short distance from a BP oil platform in the ETAP field, 125 miles east of Aberdeen. All 18 people on board survived. Crew error and a faulty alert system were blamed.
HSSG said while there were "significant technical differences" between the variants, a cautious approach was needed until more was understood about what caused the crash.It was a Super Puma AS332 L2, carrying 16 passengers and two crew from the Borgsten Dolphin oil rig, which ditched in the North Sea at about 18:20 on Friday.
The people who died were Duncan Munro, 46, from Bishop Auckland, Sarah Darnley, 45, from Elgin, Gary McCrossan, 59, from Inverness, and George Allison, 57, from Winchester.
Ms Darnley's mother Anne spoke of her family's shock and said her daughter was "a fun-loving free spirit".
She said in a statement: "She enjoyed her job. She had great camaraderie with her colleagues and over the years she made some fantastic friends whom she was able to visit in various parts of the world, including South America and Thailand.
"Sarah lived life to the full, she was easy-going and a one-off. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her."
Police Scotland said 12 of those rescued had arrived in Aberdeen. Two others were still being treated at the Gilbert Bain Hospital in Lerwick.
Specialist police have been deployed to Shetland to work with local officers and other agencies on the crash investigation.
RNLI rescue co-ordinator Jim Nicholson said the helicopter apparently suffered a "catastrophic loss of power".
He said it appeared the aircraft had "suddenly dropped into the sea without any opportunity to make a controlled landing".
Last year, Super Puma helicopters crashed in two incidents, one off Aberdeen and another off Shetland, but these involved the EC 225 variety of the aircraft.
All passengers and crew were rescued in both incidents which were found to have been caused by gearbox problems.
Super Puma EC 225s were grounded following the crashes but were given the go-ahead to resume flying again earlier this month.
Bob Crow, general secretary of offshore union RMT, said there was a lack of workforce confidence in the Super Puma type aircraft, and unions had been working with the industry to address their members' concerns.
As well as CHC suspending Super Puma L2 flights, Bond Offshore Helicopters confirmed it would not operate Super Pumas, except for Jigsaw rescue aircraft.
Four people died in the incident. Clockwise from top left: George Allison, 57, Sarah Darnley, 45, Duncan Munro, 46, Gary McCrossan, 59
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