HeliOffshore Inaugural Conference 2015
Wide commitment to safety through collaboration was evident at HeliOffshore’s first conference, attended by over 150 people from across the offshore sector.
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Ready Salted ATR72 and WP-3D
Ready Salted ATR72 and WP-3D The Irish Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) have reported on a serious incident involving Aer Arann (later Stobart Air) ATR72-212A, EI-REL on 2 January 2014. The findings are highly relevant not only to fixed wing aircraft operating at moderate altitudes over the sea but also offshore helicopter operators. The ATR72… ….carried out a
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Helideck, Helicopter and Other Specialist Training Facilities
Helideck, Helicopter and Other Specialist Training Facilities Safety training specialists Falck Nutec (now RelyOn Nutec) have installed an ex-Royal Navy AgustaWestland Lynx HAS3 at their Aberdeen training facility on their helideck training mock-up. This aids the training of Helideck Landing Officers (HLOs) and Helideck Assistants (HDAs) on their OPITIO approved training courses. This replaced a rather more
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Loss of the Alexander Kielland
Loss of the Alexander Kielland The Norwegian semi-submersible floatel (floating hotel) Alexander L. Kielland capsized on 27 March 1980 when alongside Phillips Ekofisk Edda platform. The Kielland had lost one of its five legs in a severe, but not extreme, gale. At 18:30, a ‘sharp crack’ was heard followed by ‘some kind of trembling’. The floatel heeled over 30° but stabilised,
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North Sea Helicopter Safety – Step Change in Safety Event
North Sea Helicopter Safety – Step Change in Safety Event The offshore industry safety initiative, Step Change in Safety, held a workforce engagement seminar on Helicopter Safety in Aberdeen in early March. The presentations are all available to download (click on the presenter’s name below): HSSG Update – Mark Abbey This presentation on behalf of
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Heli-Expo 2015 ‘Super Medium’ Photo Report
Heli-Expo 2015 ‘Super Medium’ Photo Report Amongst the news from the HAI Heli-Expo in Orlando on the new super-medium category of helicopters: Bell 525 The Bell Helicopter stand featured a mock-up of the 525 Relentless. Bell signed a letter of intent for 20 with Waypoint Leasing. Waypoint’s Chief Executive Officer Ed Washecka said: We are pleased to sign this
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UK OHSAG Jan 2015 Minutes
UK Offshore Helicopter Safety Action Group (OHSAG) Jan 2015 Minutes The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has just published the minutes of the latest, 27 Jan 2015, meeting of the Offshore Helicopter Safety Action Group (OHSAG). The OHSAG was formed as a result of the ‘Civil Aviation Authority Safety Review of Offshore Public Transport Helicopter Operations in Support of
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Heli-Expo 2015 Photo Report
Heli-Expo 2015 Photo Report Amongst the news from the HAI Heli-Expo in Orlando: Airbus Helicopters H160 Airbus Helicopters launched the X4 medium as the H160, also adopting a suite of new marketing names for other products. We recently discussed the sole selection of the Turbomeca Arrano for the H160. As noted in one press report, Airbus Helicopters:
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SNAPpy Action in Norway – The Southern Norway Airspace Project
SNAPpy Action in Norway – The Southern Norway Airspace Project Norwegian Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP) AVINOR has established the Southern Norway Airspace Project (SNAP), that went live in late 2014. SNAP was established: … to address present and future challenges regarding capacity, safety, environment and effectiveness. SNAP will provide a new airspace organisation, with associated working
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Turbomeca Arrano Sole Engine for Airbus Helicopters X4 (H160)
Turbomeca Arrano Sole Engine for Airbus Helicopters X4 (H160) Airbus Helicopters have announced they have selected the Turbomeca (Safran) Arrano as the sole engine for their new medium helicopter the X4 (UPDATE: to be named the H160). Airbus has also dropped the option of the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW210E (a development of the PW210S in the
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Radar for Wave Height Measurement
Radar for Wave Height Measurement The EnRoute Wave Height Measurement Problem In 2011 Canadian Transportation Safety Board (TSB) issued their investigation into a S-92A accident offshore Canada in 2009, in which 17 people died and one passenger, Robert Decker, survived. Additionally this accident was subject to a public inquiry. The Hon Robert Wells QC’s Offshore Helicopter Safety Inquiry (OSHSI)
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Aerossurance Joins HeliOffshore
Aerossurance Joins HeliOffshore HeliOffshore is a global safety-focused organisation formed by major offshore helicopter operators. They state: We enable helicopter operators to develop, share and apply best practices, create and use advanced technology, and advocate for harmonised flight standards. HeliOffshore is dedicated to achieving the highest levels of safety, in the air and on the
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Sea State Forecasting – CHIRP
Sea State Forecasting – CHIRP The CHIRP Charitable Trust, who run the UK’s Confidential Human Factors Incident Reporting Programme, today published Air Transport FEEDBACK Issue 113. This included discussion of a report on sea state forecasting in the North Sea. The original report submitted to CHIRP was: Post CAP 1145 [Safety Review Of Offshore Public Transport
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NTSB Report on 2013 S-76A++ Tail Rotor Blade Loss
NTSB Report on 2013 S-76A++ Tail Rotor Blade Loss The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has reported on a fatal Sikorsky S-76A++ accident to a Gulf Of Mexico offshore helicopter during a post-maintenance check flight of avionics systems. The accident occurred on 15 March 2013 to N574EH, operated by Era Helicopters LLC. The pilot and
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Cessna 208B Caravan Ditching Video, Molokai, Hawaii, 2013
Cessna 208B Caravan Ditching Video, Molokai, Hawaii, 2013 We have previously covered the graphic ditching of Sikorsky S-76C 9M-STE (MSN 760398) of MHS Aviation in the South China Sea on 12 December 2013, and a passenger video of the ditching and rescue. Coincidentally, the day before (but in practice a couple of hours later due to the time difference), another ditching occurred, this
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UK CAA CAP1145: Update on North Sea Helicopter Safety (CAP1243)
UK CAA CAP1145: Update on North Sea Helicopter Safety (CAP1243) Not long after the fatal loss of Eurocopter AS332L2 G-WNSB 1.5 nm west of Sumburgh Airport, Shetland Islands on 23 August 2013 with 4 fatalities (AAIB Special Bulletin), the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) launched an rapid review on offshore helicopter safety. CAP1145 This CAA Review resulted in the CAP1145 report
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Dramatic Malaysian S-76C 2013 Ditching Video
Dramatic Malaysian S-76C 2013 Ditching Video Dramatic passenger-shot video footage of a helicopter ditching and rescue off Malaysia has emerged: The Sikorsky S-76C 9M-STE (MSN 760398) of MHS Aviation, chartered by Malaysian oil and gas company Petronas, was on approach to a 3D seismic ship in the South China Sea on 12 December 2013. The 105m long, 9800GRT vessel
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New Helicopter Survival Suits in Canada
New Helicopter Survival Suits in Canada Survitec Group design engineer Alice Cannon presented to SAFE Europe symposium in Bristol in March 2014 on the company’s development of a new helicopter passenger survival suit for use in Canada. In November 2014, Gaelle Halliday of oil company Husky Energy presented more information at the first safety conference of the Canada-Newfoundland
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EASA & FAA HUMS / VHM Developments
EASA & FAA HUMS / VHM Developments More information has emerged on European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Health and Usage Monitoring Systems (HUMS) / Vibration Health Monitoring (VHM) initiatives. EASA HUMS / VHM Research There was more detail on HUMS/VHM research that Aerossurance has previously reported on when Cranfield University’s Matt Greaves presented the
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The Power of Safety Leadership: Paul O’Neill, Safety and Alcoa
The Power of Safety Leadership: Paul O’Neill, Safety and Alcoa In his book The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do, and How to Change, Charles Duhigg, described the reaction to Paul O’Neill’s first presentation as the new CEO of the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) in 1987: A few minutes before noon, the new
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NTSB Report on Bizarre 2012 US S-76B Ditching
An overweight helicopter, flown with a known defect, ditched during a poorly executed approach to a GOM drilling rig, then water taxying was attempted…
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EC175 / H175 Enters Service with NHV
EC175 (now H175) Enters Service with NHV Following the handover of the first two 7.5t, 16 passenger Airbus Helicopters EC175s to Belgian operator NHV on 11 December 2014, the type entered service just days later on contract to German oil and gas company Wintershall. The aircraft are on the Dutch register and based at Den Helder in the Netherlands (the
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Bell 525 Fly-By-Wire Update
Bell 525 Fly-By-Wire Update Bell Helicopter gave an update this month on the Fly-By-Wire (FBW) system being developed for their new super-medium helicopter, the 525 Relentless, at the 8th Rotorcraft Symposium in Cologne. This event was organised by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The paper by Mike Bothwell and Awais Razais is downloadable as part of a large zip file for the whole symposium
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Further Category A EBS Approved
Further Category A EBS Approved More Category A Compressed Air – Emergency Breather System (CA-EBS) options are now approved against the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) standard in CAP1034. These approvals are under the accessory approval requirements of British Civil Airworthiness Requirements (BCAR) A4-8. Category A EBS was a recommendation from the CAA Review, which resulted in
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