ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 151364
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| Date: | Friday 11 March 1983 |
| Time: | 14:52 |
| Type: |  Sikorsky S-61N-II |
| Owner/operator: | British Airways Helicopters |
| Registration: | G-ASNL |
| MSN: | 61220 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1963 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 17 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Location: | North Sea, 77nm North East of Aberdeen -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Offshore |
| Departure airport: | Claymore platform |
| Aberdeen Airport (ABZ/EGPD) | |
| Investigating agency: | AIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Ditched into the North Sea 77 nautical miles North East of Aberdeen and sank after main rotor gearbox failure. All 17 persons on board (crew of 2 and 15 passengers) escaped unhurt, and were rescued. According to the following extract from the official AAIB report into the accident:
"SHORTLY AFTER DEPARTURE FROM AN OIL RIG THE CREW HEARD A LOUD BANG & EXPERIENCED VIBRATION FROM THE MAIN ROTOR TRANSMISSION. AT THE SAME TIME THE No.1 ENGINE WAS SEEN TO RUN DOWN & STOP. A DISTRESS CALL WAS TRANSMITTED & A CONTROLLED DITCHING WAS COMPLETED WITH THE HELICOPTER STABILIZED ON ITS EMERGENCY FLOTATION GEAR. HOWEVER, DURING DEPLOYMENT, BOTH LIFE RAFTS WERE PUNCTURED & RENDERED UNUSABLE BY SHARP PROJECTIONS ON THE HULL OF THE A/C. THE HELICOPTER WAS NOT DAMAGED IN THE ACCIDENT BUT LATER SANK AS A RESULT OF DAMAGE SUSTAINED DURING AN ATTEMPTED RECOVERY.
THE REPORT OF THE AAIB CONCLUDES THAT THE ACCIDENT WAS CAUSED BY FAILURE, IN FATIGUE, OF A SPUR GEAR IN THE MAIN ROTOR TRANSMISSION GEARBOX WHICH RESULTED IN A RUPTURE OF THE GEARBOX CASING & LOSS OF THE TRANSMISSION LUBRICATION OIL"
UK registration G-ASNL cancelled 31/10/1983 as "sold to United States of America". Wreckage recovered and was sold to Carson Helicopters as N4503E; rebuilt to S-61 Shortsky.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. AAIB: https://assets.digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk/media/5422fd0840f0b6134200080d/Sikorsky_S61N_G-ASNL.pdf
2. CAA: https://www.caa.co.uk/docs/HistoricalMaterial/G-ASNL.pdf
3. https://www.helis.com/database/cn/21224/
4. http://www.griffin-helicopters.co.uk/accidentdetails.aspx?accidentkey=14442
Media:
British Airways helicopter Sikorsky S-61N, G-ASNL ditched in the North Sea, 77 nm North-east of Aberdeen on 11 March 1983
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Dec-2012 11:59 | TB | Added |
| 21-Dec-2012 12:04 | TB | Updated [Narrative] |
| 01-Jun-2013 17:24 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 01-Jun-2013 17:34 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Embed code, Narrative] |
| 12-Jun-2013 16:27 | TB | Updated [Location, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 14-Jun-2013 14:04 | helis | Updated [[Location, Source, Embed code, Narrative]] |
| 14-Jun-2013 18:04 | harro | Updated [Damage] |
| 16-Jul-2013 15:01 | TB | Updated [Location] |
| 26-Oct-2015 22:18 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Location, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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