Eighteen Rescued after Helicopter Ditches in North Sea

All eighteen survivors are now back onshore following their rescue from liferafts after a Bond operated Super Puma helicopter ditched into the North Sea. Three were airlifted by helicopter from a heliraft and flown to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, whilst the remaining fifteen were rescued by a support vessel and taken back to Aberdeen harbour.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said the accident was reported by platform workers when the Super Puma was seen ditching as it approached the BP operated ETAP platform. The platform is situated 120 miles east of Aberdeen. Air Accidents Investigators are on their way to Aberdeen as an investigation is launched into last night's accident.

Since 1969 there have been more than 30 incidents involving oil installation support helicopters, killing more than 100 people.

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Not all helicopter incidents result in fatalities:

August 1981: 1 man dies when a Bell 212 crashed on its way back from the Dunlin oil platform.
August 1981: 13 died when a Wessex helicopter, chartered from Bristow, crashed into the sea 12 miles off the coast of Norfolk as it returned to Bacton.
May 1984: 44 oil workers and three crew members were rescued when their British Airways Chinook ditched 125 miles north of Shetland following engine trouble.
November 1986: 45 died when a Chinook helicopter, operated by British International Helicopters, crashed into the North Sea two miles and a minute's flying time from Sumburgh airport, Shetland.
July 1988 : 19 oil rig workers and two crew members were rescued after their Sikorsky S61 helicopter caught fire and was forced to ditch in the sea 15 miles east of Shetland.
July 1990: 6 men died when a Sikorsky S61 helicopter carrying oil workers fell into the sea after colliding with a crane as it landed on an oil-loading depot about 100 miles north-east of the Shetland Isles.
August 1991: 3 died when their Bell 212 crashed while on maintenance work at a platform in the Ekofisk field.
February 1992: 11 men were killed when a Super Puma helicopter, which was taking workers from Shell's Cormorant Alpha platform, 100 miles north-east of Shetland, to the Safe Supporter "flotel" 200 yards away, crashed shortly after take-off.
January 1995: 18 workers and the helicopter crew survived uninjured after a Bristow's Super Puma ditched in the sea after it was struck by lightning 130 miles from Aberdeen.
January 1999: 12 workers and 2 crew survive after a Bond-operated Super Puma issues an emergency alert reporting severe vibration problems on the aircraft.
August 2001: 13 men died when a twin-engined Wessex helicopter crashed into the North Sea off the Norfolk coast.
July 2002: 11 die when their Sikorsky-76 helicopter crashed in the southern North Sea while it was making a ten minute flight between the gas production platform Clipper and the drilling rig Global Santa Fe Monarch.
November 2003: 20 workers and crew survive a fire aboard their Bristow's Tiger helicopter minutes before it was due to land at Scatsta airport in Lerwick.
December 2006: 6 workers and 2 crew die when a CHC Eurocopter AS365N crashed while transferring offshore workers between gas platforms in the North Morecambe offshore field.
February 2009: 16 workers and 2 crew survive when their Bond Super Puma ditches close to the BP ETAP platform.

Posted 19/02/09

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