New Helicopter Cargo Loading System Dutch engineering company VRR is working with AgustaWestland to design a helicopter Cabin Cargo Container and Restraint System for the AW139 helicopter, anticipating it will be of interest in the offshore oil and gas industry for transport of spares and equipment. Certainly with a large drillship costing $500k per day to […]
New Helicopter Cargo Loading System Read Post »
PDG Helicopters Win UK & Eire Lighthouse Support Contract The three lighthouse authorities in the UK and Eire have joined together to award a contract for helicopter support. The three General Lighthouse Authorities (GLAs) awarded the £13mn contract to Inverness, Scotland based, PDG Helicopters. PDG will use two new Airbus Helicopters EC135s on the contract which runs from 1 December 2015
PDG Helicopters Win UK & Eire Lighthouse Support Contract Read Post »
Very Very Important Person (VVIP) AW101 There are a number of nations introducing the AgustaWestland AW101 into VVIP service. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfm3XM82SuQ&feature=player_detailpage In the VVIP role the large AW101 cabin has the flexibility to be fitted out in a wide range of configurations. One easy way to visualise potential cabin layout options is now offered by 3D printing techniques. The
Medevac Misadventure – Inquest in the Yukon The Coroner for Canada’s Yukon Territory has recommended a review of procedures for medical evacuations (medevacs) following the death on board an air ambulance of a 31 year-old woman from Carmacks in November 2013, CBC has reported. In particular the wrong IV tubing was taken on the aircraft as different
Medevac Misadventure – Inquest in the Yukon Read Post »
Building St Helena Airport – An Industrial Scale ‘Grand Design’ A remarkable construction project is underway to bring the remote South Atlantic island of St Helena closer to the outside world: VIDEO St Helena a 420 km² volcanic island, with a population of 4,300, is a British Overseas Territory 1200 miles off the coast of South West
Building St Helena Airport – An Industrial Scale ‘Grand Design’ Read Post »
Catastrophe in the Congo – The Company That Lost its Board of Directors When you charter aircraft for business purposes, any fatal air accident can leave a terrible scar on your company as well as on the friends and family of the people who die. In 2010 a small Australian mining company suffered a particularly catastrophic air accident,
Catastrophe in the Congo – The Company That Lost its Board of Directors Read Post »
A video commissioned by Transport Canada highlights key lessons for working safely around helicopters and longline loads.
Keep Your Eyes on the Hook! Underslung External Load Safety Read Post »
On 18 August 2014 the Icelandic Met Office (IMO) upgraded the aviation colour code for the Baroarbunga volcano to ‘Orange’ which means that, ‘The volcano shows heightened or escalating unrest with increased potential of eruption’. UPDATE: On 23 August 2014, the morning after this article was published, it was raised to ‘Red’ (‘Eruption is forecast to
Volcanic Ash…Déjà Vu All Over Again?? Read Post »
Helicopter Ditching Limitations The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is proposing introducing Emergency Floatation System ditching limitations into Rotorcraft Flight Manuals (RFMs) and that these are then a limitation for operations. This is in broad alignment with a UK CAA Safety Directive effective 1 September 2014. On 30 May 2014 EASA issued a Proposed Airworthiness Directive (PAD) for public comment.
Helicopter Ditching Limitations Read Post »
UPDATE: This article has been reviewed and updated since the publication of OGP’s V1.1 reports adding details that our first edition highlighted were missing. Follow us on LinkedIn for our latest updates. The International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (OGP) has published their annual safety performance review. Earlier 2012 data is here. The OGP members
OGP Safety Performance Indicators 2013 Read Post »
The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) reported on the fatal crushing injury to an able seaman on British registered ro-ro cargo ship, Tyrusland in Tripoli, Libya on 15 May 2013.
Audits Highlighted Risk Assessment Weaknesses Prior to Ro-Ro Fatality Read Post »
AW139 Global Fleet Passes 1 Million Hour Milestone AgustaWestland has announced that its popular medium helicopter, the AW139, has now achieved 1 million hours of service experience since it entered service in 2003. The AW139 fleet leader has now flown more than 9,300 hours, so another milestone is likely to be passed this autumn. AW reports that 650
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The published at 00.01 am on Tuesday 8 July 2014. In its conclusions the committee say: Helicopter transfer across the North Sea has inherent risks but remains the most practical mode of transport for the offshore oil and gas industry. Five accidents since 2009 have led to a loss of confidence from the offshore work
House of Commons Transport Committee Offshore Helicopter Safety Report Read Post »
In a bizarre rail accident, three Boeing 737 fuselages, being transported from the Spirit AeroSystems Wichita factory to the Boeing assembly line in Seattle, were left at the bottom of a ravine in Montana on 4 July 2014.
737s in Montana Rail Ravine Plunge Read Post »
A patient ” jumped out of an emergency exit/window at a height of 2,000 feet”.
Offshore Passenger Fatality 2 July 2014: CHC Medevac Norway Read Post »
OPITO Compressed Air Emergency Breathing System (CA-EBS) Initial Deployment Training Standard OPITO has issued a standard for Compressed Air Emergency Breathing System (CA-EBS) Initial Deployment Training, to support the initial introduction of Category A Emergency Breathing System (EBS) following the a UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Review, which resulted in the CAP1145 report. To successfully complete this 1.5 hour ‘dry’ training,
Focus on Gust Locks After US G-IV accident On 12 May 2014, 7 people died when Gulfstream G-IV business aircraft N121JM was destroyed at Hanscom Field, Bedford, Massachusetts, after a rejected takeoff and runway excursion. Among the dead was Lewis Katz, co-owner of the US’s third-oldest daily newspaper. the Philadelphia Inquirer, who had been attending a charity event with his
Focus on Gust Locks After US GIV accident Read Post »
‘Heir Force One’ – Second Helicopter for the Royal Family The British tabloids have finally caught up with regular users of the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) G-INFO Database and spotted that the Royal Family is leasing a second helicopter (AgustaWestland A109S G-XXEC). The aircraft, to be based at RAF Odiham, joins Sikorsky S-76C++ G-XXEB, itself chartered in 2009 to
‘Heir Force One’ – Second Helicopter for the Royal Family Read Post »
Planning for Mass Evacuations A wave of mass evacuations of foreign workers from Iraq is a timely reminder of the importance of having pre-arranged evacuation arrangements in place for companies operating in the less stable of overseas locations. Similar evacuations have occurred in a range of other countries in recent years, particularly in the Middle
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Trade body Oil & Gas UK have released two new reports. The first is the annual Oil & Gas UK Health and Safety Report 2014 which covers: A detailed summary of the UK offshore oil and gas industry’s safety performance An overview of the safety-related projects being carried out across the industry An explanation of how the
Oil & Gas UK News: Health & Safety and Supply Chain CoP Read Post »
Size Isn’t Everything The day after the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) CAP1145 report on North Sea helicopter safety was published, the Aberdeen Press & Journal focused on one controversial action with the front page headline ‘If you are too fat you won’t fly’! But when it comes to escaping from a submerged helicopter through the push
Size Isn’t Everything Read Post »
In a session entitled “Resilience, helicopters and the challenge of transferring the workforce offshore” at Oil & Gas UK‘s first Annual Conference, attendees heard that the industry is now better prepared for major disruption. Past disruptions have included: The 2010 Eyjafjallajökull (aka ‘E15’) volcanic eruption in Iceland and the resulting volcanic ash fall out Two ditchings in 2012 due
Offshore Industry Improving Aviation Resilience Read Post »
Rapid Progress with a Category A EBS One of the most urgent initiatives currently underway in UK offshore helicopter safety is the introduction of Category A Emergency Breathing Systems (EBS). Progress was discussed at Oil & Gas UK’s annual aviation seminar in Aberdeen on 4 June 2014. Oil & Gas UK is the organisation that represents the entire UK offshore industry.
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