Helicopter ditches into North Sea

Fourteen oil workers and crew airlifted to safety after helicopter makes 'controlled landing' off coast of Aberdeen

Emergency services safely rescue 14 oil workers and crew from a helicopter that ditched in the North Sea off Aberdeen Link to this video
Emergency services have safely rescued 14 oil workers and crew from a helicopter that ditched in the North Sea off Aberdeen soon after midday.


A major rescue operation began after the Super Puma EC225 helicopter operated by Bond Offshore made a "controlled descent" when a low-pressure warning light came on during a flight.


Three search and rescue helicopters, supported by a lifeboat and the coastguard, were scrambled. after the helicopter ditched safely in the sea about 25 miles south-east of Aberdeen.


The incident took place at about 12.15pm. A spokesman for Bond Offshore said all 14 people on board safely transferred to life rafts and were rescued shortly afterwards.


No significant injuries were reported. and Aberdeen Royal Infirmary said its accident and emergency department was expecting 14 people to be admitted for a precautionary assessment.


A Bond Offshore spokesman said: "A low-pressure oil warning light came on and the helicopter made a controlled descent and landed in the North Sea. It didn't crash."


The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: "Aberdeen Coastguard was alerted at 12.15pm that a Bond helicopter was en route from Aberdeen to Maersk Resilient, and then onwards to ENSCO 102, when they broadcast an alert that they were forced to ditch the aircraft into the sea."


Helicopter flights from Aberdeen have been temporarily suspended.


Dozens of helicopters fly in and out of Aberdeen – Europe's busiest heliport – every day to service the North Sea's oil and gas platforms.


This is the first significant helicopter emergency since April 2009, when 16 people on board another Bond Super Puma helicopter were killed after a major gearbox failure caused it to crash into the North Sea.


In February 2009 another Bond helicopter crashed from a low level into the North Sea in thick fog. All 18 passengers survived, with a few minor injuries.


Jim McAuslan, general secretary of the British Airline Pilots' Association (BALPA), said the cause of the ditching would be investigated by the air accident investigation branch, and said the Civil Aviation Authority ought to study its findings to see if any safety trends in North Sea flights were developing.


But he paid tribute to the skills of the Super Puma pilots. "This looks like a terrific piece of airmanship from very skilled pilots," McAuslan said. "A helicopter ditching is one of the most difficult manoeuvres in commercial aviation and yet reports indicate that every passenger and crew member on board has been winched to safety."