ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 308598
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| Date: | Friday 17 February 2023 |
| Time: | morning |
| Type: |  Airbus Helicopters H175 B |
| Owner/operator: | Offshore Helicopter Services UK Ltd |
| Registration: | G-MCSH |
| MSN: | 5034 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Location: | Elgin PUQ Installation, Central North Sea -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Standing |
| Nature: | Offshore |
| Departure airport: | Elgin-Franklin Oil Platform, North Sea, 130 miles East of Aberdeen |
| Aberdeen International Airport (ABZ/EGPD) | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
An Airbus H175 helicopter operated by Offshore Helicopter Services UK (OHS) has suffered significant damage. G-MCSH flew a 130-mile sector to the Elgin installation on the North Sea, due east of Aberdeen on the morning of Friday 17th February, departing just before 7.30am. Unfortunately, the aircraft had a tail rotor issue prior to its return flight, and the tail rotor chip light illuminated – stranding the helicopter on the rig. While parked on the Elgin rig, Storm Otto came through and snapped at least three of its five blades off close to the root. The H175 will need airlifting back to Aberdeen for repair.
A spokesperson for OHS said: “An H175 experienced a technical problem while on board a platform. Subsequently, strong winds resulted in some damage to the helicopter. We are working with our client and recovery partners to return the aircraft to base as soon as there is a weather window that will allow us to do so.”
Despite the grounded aircraft, platform operator Total Energies confirmed there is sufficient space on the helipad to allow other helicopters to land and take off as normal. A spokesperson for the French oil company added: “Following a preventative system warning, the helicopter crew elected to shut down on the Elgin platform. Subsequently, strong winds resulted in some damage to the helicopter. All personnel are safe.”
To add irony to the issue, OHS had sent another H175 G-MCSF to the Airbus Helicopters base in Albacete, Spain just three days earlier to undergo a major corrosion proofing exercise which will take it out of service for at least nine months. A third H175 from the fleet is now test flying in Albacete following completion of the same work program and will be very much welcomed back to the UK as backfill in the near future. Wind speeds from Storm Otto were recorded on 17th February in excess of 80mph in a number of places across Scotland, with some gusts as high as 120mph. A spokesperson for Offshore Helicopter Services UK said: “An H175 experienced a technical problem while on board a platform. Subsequently, strong winds resulted in some damage to the helicopter. An assessment is currently underway to determine the best next steps.”
Update 20 February 2023: Industry sources advise that the rotor brake failed to hold the main blades from windmilling before they had been tied down, resulting in the loss of two broken blades into the sea and another blade hit the cockpit.
The UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) confirmed it was investigating the incident. A spokesperson for the organisation added: “The AAIB is investigating an occurrence involving a helicopter on the Elgin oil platform. Inspectors are in the process of gathering evidence about the circumstances of this event, and a report will be published on the AAIB website once the investigation is complete.”
The Elgin-Franklin complex currently consists of four wellhead platforms – Elgin A, Elgin B, Franklin and West Franklin – with Elgin A linked to the Elgin process, utilities and quarters (PUQ) platform by a bridge.
Sources:
1. https://helihub.com/2023/02/20/airbus-h175-blades-snapped-off-at-the-root/
2. https://www.energyvoice.com/oilandgas/north-sea/484468/helicopter-stranded-on-totals-elgin-platform-after-blades-snap-during-storm-otto/
3. https://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/651472-helicopter-blades-damaged-storm-otto.html
4. https://www.energyvoice.com/health-safety-environment/491335/storm-otto-helicopter-totalenergies/
https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/g-mcshhttps://www.helis.com/database/cn/51138/
Media:
Airbus G-MCSH Arriving at Sumburgh, Shetland Isands 25 January 2022
— People in aviation (@people_aviation) March 7, 2023
Revision history:
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