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North Sea helicopter ditching 'crew error' North Sea helicopter ditching 'crew error'
(40 minutes later)
Crew error and the malfunction of an alert system have been blamed for a helicopter ditching in the North Sea.Crew error and the malfunction of an alert system have been blamed for a helicopter ditching in the North Sea.
The 16 passengers and two crew survived the incident in February 2009, which involved a Bond Super Puma. The 16 passengers and two crew survived the incident on 18 February 2009, which involved a Bond Super Puma.
It came down near a BP oil platform in the ETAP field, 125 miles (201km) east of Aberdeen, in foggy conditions.It came down near a BP oil platform in the ETAP field, 125 miles (201km) east of Aberdeen, in foggy conditions.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch has said the two pilots were unaware the aircraft was landing on the sea rather than the heli-deck.The Air Accidents Investigation Branch has said the two pilots were unaware the aircraft was landing on the sea rather than the heli-deck.
Two terrain awareness warning systems were also not working at the time. The report said the pilots failed to notice the helicopter was descending about 300m short of the platform.
The AAIB has made 27 safety recommendations. It found they were focused on the platform, and not the instruments in the helicopter that could have indicated where they were, and two audio height warnings did not activate.
'Safety recommendations'
The report also found the "visual illusions" were worsened by low visibility caused by fog and clouds, and reinforced by the reflection of the platform lights on the surface of the sea.
A major rescue operation was then launched when the alarm was raised.
The AAIB has made 27 safety recommendations - including that the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) commissions a study of visual illusions that could be generated during offshore approaches in poor visibility and at night.
Later, in April that year, 16 men died when another Bond Super Puma crashed into the sea off Peterhead.Later, in April that year, 16 men died when another Bond Super Puma crashed into the sea off Peterhead.
The AAIB report into that incident is still awaited.The AAIB report into that incident is still awaited.