Date:	Thursday 13 August 1981
Time:	15:42
Type:	Westland Wessex 60 (S-58T)
Owner/operator:	Bristow Helicopters
Registration:	G-ASWI
MSN:	WA/199
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 13 / Occupants: 13
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Category:	Accident
Location:	North Sea, off Happisburgh, 12 miles ENE of Bacton, Norfolk -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Offshore
Departure airport:	Amoco 27E gas platform
Destination airport:	Bacton gas terminal, Bacton, Norfolk
Investigating agency:	AIB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
G-ASWI left the North Denes airfield at 13:47 on Friday 13 August 1981 on a routine passenger and freight flight between rigs on the Leman and Indefatigable gas fields. The crew consisted of a pilot and a cabin attendant, plus 11 passengers.

At 15:41, returning from the Leman field to the landing site at Bacton, the commander, Ben Breach, sent a distress message reporting that he was ditching due to engine failure. 3 seconds later the aircraft was lost to radar. A Royal Air Force Search and Rescue Westland Sea King left RAF Coltishall at 15:47, sighting floating wreckage from G-ASWI at 15:57. There were no survivors.

Efforts to recover the wreck were delayed, meaning that the wreck was beyond recovery by the time salvage operations started. There was insufficient evidence to explain either the loss of power or loss of control that caused the aircraft to crash. The inquest into the deaths of those on board recorded an open verdict.

Bristow withdrew the type after this accident.

On August 13th 2014 a memorial to those killed in the crash was unveiled at Great Yarmouth Minster.

1. AAIB: https://assets.digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk/media/5423008ded915d1374000a57/4-1983_G-ASWI.pdf
2. CAA: https://www.caa.co.uk/docs/HistoricalMaterial/G-ASWI.pdf
3. https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1981/1981
4. https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1981/1981
5. https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1983/1983
6. http://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2014-08-13/memorial-to-helicopter-crash-victims-finally-unveiled-33-years-after-disaster/
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1981_Bristow_Helicopters_Westland_Wessex_crash
8. http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/helicopter-crash-left-families-without-fathers-sons-brothers-and-husbands-1-3769992
9. https://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/348498-wessex-crash-norfolk-1981-a.html
10. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat=19811110&id=HcNAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=16UMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1913,1441823&hl=en (Herald)

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
13-Mar-2010 23:05	Ian53	Added
13-Mar-2010 23:14	harro	Updated [Aircraft type, Source, Narrative, ]
18-Jul-2010 09:04	TB	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Cn, Operator, Location, ]
18-Jul-2010 09:37	TB	Updated [Aircraft type, Departure airport, Destination airport, ]
11-Aug-2012 13:39	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Location, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, ]
14-Sep-2012 04:04	TB	Updated [Location, Source, Embed code, Narrative, ]
09-Aug-2014 14:42	Aerossurance	Updated [Aircraft type, Source, Narrative, ]
13-Aug-2014 19:51	Aeossurance	Updated [Source, ]
25-Aug-2014 12:42	TB	Updated [Aircraft type, ]
23-Oct-2015 18:50	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Location, Source, Embed code, Narrative, ]
31-Jan-2016 19:16	Aerossurance	Updated [Location, Source, Narrative, ]