Tough Times For Offshore Helo Ops

Following the April 1st crash of an AS332 Super Puma that took 16 lives, BP Oil resumed using Super Puma helicopters for offshore operations after the aircraft were grounded at the behest of EASA. The government agency had ordered safety inspections before flight could resume. The Eurocopter AS332L2, operated by  Bond Offshore Helicopters, went down off the coast of Aberdeenshire, with loss of 14 pax and two crew. 

The accident came less than six weeks after another Bond-operated Super Puma was forced to ditch in the North Sea, 125 miles east of Aberdeen. In that accident, all 16 persons onboard were rescued.

A spokesperson for BP has confirmed that proper and mandated safety inspections had been carried out before operations resumed, though the oil company is using equipment from CHC and Bristow to carry on in the interim. BP is evaluating Bond before engaging in further operations with that company. A task force has also been compiled from industry leaders to provide additional oversight.

Initial reports from the AAIB have "determined that a failure within the epicyclic reduction gearbox module of the main rotor gearbox resulted in the rupture of the gearbox case, which allowed the main rotor head to separate from the helicopter. Examination of the remains of the epicyclic gearbox, and associated areas of the helicopter, continues apace with the aim of establishing as soon as  possible the sequence of the failure and initiating cause."

As a result, AAIB issued Safety Recommendation 2009-051 in which they stated, "It is recommended that Eurocopter, with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), develop and implement an inspection of the internal components of the main rotor gearbox epicyclic module for all AS332L2 and EC225LP helicopters as a matter of urgency to ensure the continued airworthiness of the main rotor gearbox. This inspection is in addition to that specified in EASA Emergency Airworthiness Directive 2009-0087-E, and should be made mandatory with immediate effect by an additional EASA Emergency Airworthiness Directive."

It's been a tough time for offshore helo operators... less than a month before the Super Puma downing, all but one person onboard a Sikorsky S-92 were killed when that offshore transport ditched off the coast of Newfoundland. Investigators believe that helo, operated by Cougar Helicopters, suffered broken titanium studs in the aircraft's gearbox oil bowl, leading to failure of the aircraft's transmission system.

FMI: www.bondoffshorehelicopters.com, www.aaib.gov.uk