Sixteen Fatally Injured When Helo Went Down In The North Sea In 2009

An official inquiry into an accident in 2009 involving a Super Puma helicopter that resulted in the fatal injury of 16 people is underway in the U.K.  Fourteen oil rig workers and two crew were on board the aircraft when the main rotor gearbox suffered a "catastrophic failure" and it went down in the North Sea.

A report from the British Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) indicated that the main rotor on the AS332-L2 helo separated from the aircraft following the gearbox failure. The rotor severed the tail boom from the fuselage. The accident occurred six weeks after an EC225 Super Puma ditched on approach to a BP oil platform. All 18 people on board that aircraft survived the accident.

STV News reports that the Fatal Accident Enquiry conducted by a sheriff in Aberdeen, Scotland will look into the circumstances of the accident with an eye towards preventing similar accidents in the future. Early testimony by pilots and mechanics has focused on the technical aspects of flying and maintaining such aircraft. The pilot who had flown the accident aircraft on its last full sortie said Monday there had been some "minor" issues with the helo, but nothing that would have led them to believe that it would suffer a main rotor gearbox failure. The BBC reports that the aircraft had been declared "Fit for Service" the day preceding the accident.

The inquiry is expected to last about six weeks.

(AS332 pictured in file photo. Not accident aircraft)

FMI: www.scotcourts.gov.uk