Reported in the The Scotsman 13 March 2009 by Lucy Collins
The jury has recorded a verdict of accidental death at the inquest into a helicopter crash which claimed seven lives.
The jury foreman said: "We, the jury, agree the cause of death was accidental. We agree there were contributing factors and that these were poor weather conditions, leading to a lack of visual clues, pilot disorientation and transfer of control."
Andy Brazier
Monday, March 16, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Last moments of air crash victims
Article covering the first day of the inquest into the deaths. Published in The Northern Echo on 11 March 2009
"Flight recorders show the crew had been approaching the landing but had become unhappy with the manoeuvre and aborted their attempt.
Mr Foddering began a “goaround” but struggled and asked for help before Mr Potton took over the controls.
Air accident investigator Marcus Cook said there had been a brief exchange between the pilots about depth perception in the seconds before the crash.
Mr Potton asked his co-pilot if he was all right, and Mr Foddering replied: “No, I’m not happy, mate”, the jury heard.
Mr Foddering asked his commander to “help us out” and, after a four-second delay, Mr Potton took charge. Mr Cook said the four seconds amounted to a “significant delay”.
He said the handover of control between the pilots was imprecise.
The AAIB report also found that Mr Potton could have given better commands to his co-pilot.
AAIB experts told the jury that contributing factors to the crash of the 21-year-old helicopter included the co-pilot losing control, and the four second delay in the commander responding to a request for help.
Experts also said that the crew had not been given “synthetic” training in a simulator, which could have been beneficial.
"Flight recorders show the crew had been approaching the landing but had become unhappy with the manoeuvre and aborted their attempt.
Mr Foddering began a “goaround” but struggled and asked for help before Mr Potton took over the controls.
Air accident investigator Marcus Cook said there had been a brief exchange between the pilots about depth perception in the seconds before the crash.
Mr Potton asked his co-pilot if he was all right, and Mr Foddering replied: “No, I’m not happy, mate”, the jury heard.
Mr Foddering asked his commander to “help us out” and, after a four-second delay, Mr Potton took charge. Mr Cook said the four seconds amounted to a “significant delay”.
He said the handover of control between the pilots was imprecise.
The AAIB report also found that Mr Potton could have given better commands to his co-pilot.
AAIB experts told the jury that contributing factors to the crash of the 21-year-old helicopter included the co-pilot losing control, and the four second delay in the commander responding to a request for help.
Experts also said that the crew had not been given “synthetic” training in a simulator, which could have been beneficial.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Official AAIB report published
Report No: 7/2008. Report on the accident to Aerospatiale SA365N, registration G-BLUN, near the North Morecambe gas platform, Morecambe Bay on 27 December 2006.
Report published 23 October 2008 by the Air Accident Investigation Board and available at their website.
The report suggests the co-pilot who was flying the helicopter on its approach to the gas platform became disorientated, probably due to darkness and weather. Handover of control to the pilot was not precise and the pilot himself was not ready to take control. This meant there was not enough to time to work out what to do before the helicopter hit the water at a speed that was not survivable.
This is a difficult accident to comment on. We usually look for root causes in systems and organisations so that we can make good recommendations. This accident is an example of how individuals can fail, and sometimes those failures will result in accidents. In others words, if we accept risk we sometime have to accept tragedy.
The report makes six recommendations, but none in my mind are particularly earth shattering, asking for reviews of standard operating procedures and suggesting some areas for research. A comment is made that a simulator was available for training, but had not been used. No recommendation is made, and given the level of experience of the pilots in this case it is difficult to see whether such training would have had much impact on the risks.
Andy Brazier
Report published 23 October 2008 by the Air Accident Investigation Board and available at their website.
The report suggests the co-pilot who was flying the helicopter on its approach to the gas platform became disorientated, probably due to darkness and weather. Handover of control to the pilot was not precise and the pilot himself was not ready to take control. This meant there was not enough to time to work out what to do before the helicopter hit the water at a speed that was not survivable.
This is a difficult accident to comment on. We usually look for root causes in systems and organisations so that we can make good recommendations. This accident is an example of how individuals can fail, and sometimes those failures will result in accidents. In others words, if we accept risk we sometime have to accept tragedy.
The report makes six recommendations, but none in my mind are particularly earth shattering, asking for reviews of standard operating procedures and suggesting some areas for research. A comment is made that a simulator was available for training, but had not been used. No recommendation is made, and given the level of experience of the pilots in this case it is difficult to see whether such training would have had much impact on the risks.
Andy Brazier
Friday, December 28, 2007
One year on
The flight which ended in tragedy - Article from the Blackpool Gazette on 27 December 2007
IT should have been another routine flight – one of dozens which happen every day in the Irish Sea. A three-minute hop from rig to rig, dropping off crew members and taking others home for New Year.
But at just after 6pm on December 27 last year, the Eurocopter Dauphin AS365N on which the men were flying plunged into the cold waters sparking one of the most dramatic, but unfortunately fruitless, rescue missions the Fylde coast has ever seen.
Lifeboat crews from Fleetwood and Lytham were joined by colleagues from Barrow as well as RAF Sea King crews to scour the waters of Morecambe Bay for the men in the hope they had survived the impact.
Doomed
Despite some crew members spending more than 24 hours at sea, all they were able to bring ashore were the bodies of those onboard and shattered parts of the doomed chopper.
An hour before the crash, the helicopter, piloted by North Shore man Steve Potton and owned by CHC Scotia, had left the offshore terminal at Blackpool Airport with plans filed to visit half a dozen gas rigs.
The journey had been uneventful until the last landing of the evening. As the aircraft approached the North Morecambe gasfield rig, the helicopter, controlled by Preston-based co-pilot Simon Foddering, began to go out of control. Mr Foddering decided to abort the landing but the helicopter continued to lose altitude and roll to the right.
Eyewitnesses, waiting on the helipad, said the aircraft appeared to be making a sudden turn to the right. As the situation became more serious, Mr Foddering called on Captain Potton, a man with decades of experience piloting rig helicopters, to take control. In the last few seconds he was able to level the chopper but could not halt the descent.
The aircraft hit the water at an estimated speed of more than 140mph, breaking up on impact. According to air crash investigators, those on board would have been killed instantly.
Almost immediately the alarm was raised.
RAF search and rescue helicopters were dispatched from their base in North Wales and Fylde coast lifeboat crews were scrambled. It was Fleetwood's lifeboatmen who took the lead, taking command of the search site, 27 miles off the Blackpool coast. They returned to port early the next morning to refuel the lifeboat, bringing back with them evidence of just how massive the impact had been.
Part of the helicopter nose cone, a door panel and a section of seating were among the items of wreckage brought ashore. As the parts were handed over to police, lifeboat crew members headed back to the rigs, to continue the hunt for those who had been onboard.
By the end of the day six out of seven bodies had been found. Leslie Ahmed, Simon Foddering, Alfred Neasham, Steve Potton, John Shaw, and Robert Warburton were all brought ashore. But as the weather worsened in the Irish Sea in the following days, it became apparent the seventh victim, rig worker Keith Smith, was lost at sea.
In the days which followed, investigations into the crash began. Initial speculation centred on mechanical failure, with rumours that a broken component on the 1985-built aircraft had caused the crash.
Report
However, this line of questioning was all but dismissed in the first official report, published in January by the air accident investigation branch. Their experts concluded a fault had not occurred on any flight critical system.
Investigations continue to try to find out the cause, but there is no doubting the heroic role played by 52-year-old Blackpool pilot Steve Potton in the last seconds.
Since the accident, more than £70,000 has been raised for charities and organisations involved in the search and rescue operations, in memory of the men who died, including Mr Potton.
IT should have been another routine flight – one of dozens which happen every day in the Irish Sea. A three-minute hop from rig to rig, dropping off crew members and taking others home for New Year.
But at just after 6pm on December 27 last year, the Eurocopter Dauphin AS365N on which the men were flying plunged into the cold waters sparking one of the most dramatic, but unfortunately fruitless, rescue missions the Fylde coast has ever seen.
Lifeboat crews from Fleetwood and Lytham were joined by colleagues from Barrow as well as RAF Sea King crews to scour the waters of Morecambe Bay for the men in the hope they had survived the impact.
Doomed
Despite some crew members spending more than 24 hours at sea, all they were able to bring ashore were the bodies of those onboard and shattered parts of the doomed chopper.
An hour before the crash, the helicopter, piloted by North Shore man Steve Potton and owned by CHC Scotia, had left the offshore terminal at Blackpool Airport with plans filed to visit half a dozen gas rigs.
The journey had been uneventful until the last landing of the evening. As the aircraft approached the North Morecambe gasfield rig, the helicopter, controlled by Preston-based co-pilot Simon Foddering, began to go out of control. Mr Foddering decided to abort the landing but the helicopter continued to lose altitude and roll to the right.
Eyewitnesses, waiting on the helipad, said the aircraft appeared to be making a sudden turn to the right. As the situation became more serious, Mr Foddering called on Captain Potton, a man with decades of experience piloting rig helicopters, to take control. In the last few seconds he was able to level the chopper but could not halt the descent.
The aircraft hit the water at an estimated speed of more than 140mph, breaking up on impact. According to air crash investigators, those on board would have been killed instantly.
Almost immediately the alarm was raised.
RAF search and rescue helicopters were dispatched from their base in North Wales and Fylde coast lifeboat crews were scrambled. It was Fleetwood's lifeboatmen who took the lead, taking command of the search site, 27 miles off the Blackpool coast. They returned to port early the next morning to refuel the lifeboat, bringing back with them evidence of just how massive the impact had been.
Part of the helicopter nose cone, a door panel and a section of seating were among the items of wreckage brought ashore. As the parts were handed over to police, lifeboat crew members headed back to the rigs, to continue the hunt for those who had been onboard.
By the end of the day six out of seven bodies had been found. Leslie Ahmed, Simon Foddering, Alfred Neasham, Steve Potton, John Shaw, and Robert Warburton were all brought ashore. But as the weather worsened in the Irish Sea in the following days, it became apparent the seventh victim, rig worker Keith Smith, was lost at sea.
In the days which followed, investigations into the crash began. Initial speculation centred on mechanical failure, with rumours that a broken component on the 1985-built aircraft had caused the crash.
Report
However, this line of questioning was all but dismissed in the first official report, published in January by the air accident investigation branch. Their experts concluded a fault had not occurred on any flight critical system.
Investigations continue to try to find out the cause, but there is no doubting the heroic role played by 52-year-old Blackpool pilot Steve Potton in the last seconds.
Since the accident, more than £70,000 has been raised for charities and organisations involved in the search and rescue operations, in memory of the men who died, including Mr Potton.
Monday, March 12, 2007
AAIB report 7 March 2007
Available from Government News Network.
Initial reports are being disseminated because of the importance of helicopter operations in support of the offshore oil and gas industry. I don't understand all the terminology used, but it seems the co-pilot was not happy with the approach. When the commander took over he could not get the helicopter to climb and it continued to fall a great rate. However, there is not explanation about why he had this problem.
Excerpts from the report are shown below.
It is estimated that more than 90% of the helicopter has been recovered including the tail rotor, the main rotor head, the main gearbox and both engines. There are no signs of a mechanical failure prior to the crash
Also, the combined data and voice recorder has been recovered and successfully replayed. From this the following has been determined. "During the later stages f the approach the helicopter slowly pitched nose down and commenced a slow roll to the right. At the same time the collective lever was raised, increasing power from the engines, and the indicated airspeed and altitude began to increase. The crew became unhappy with the approach and decided to abort the attempt to land.
A go around was commenced during which the helicopter continued to roll to the right and pitch nose down. The co-pilot asked for assistance and the commander took control. The data indicates that one second later the helicopter had attained a maximum nose down pitch attitude of 30o, coincident with a bank angle of 38o to the right. The indicated airspeed was increasing through 80 kt, and the radio altitude was reducing through 300 ft with a rate of descent of approximately 1,400 ft per minute. Over the next two and a half seconds, the helicopter rolled level and the pitch atitude reduced to 13o nose down. The radio altitude indicated 170 ft, with an indicated airspeed in excess of 100 kt and a rate of descent of about 1,400 ft per minute. During the next five and a half seconds, there was no significant change in the pitch atitude and the indicated airpseed continued to increase as the helicopter descended; over the same period, the helicopter commenced a slow roll to the right. The last recorded parameters indicate a radio altitude of 30 ft, a 12o nose down pitch atitude, an indicated airspeed of 126 kt, and an angle of bank of 20o to the right.
A review of the recorded data to date has not indicated any problems of a technical nature and no helicopter maneuvers have been identified which were not in response to flight controls."
Initial reports are being disseminated because of the importance of helicopter operations in support of the offshore oil and gas industry. I don't understand all the terminology used, but it seems the co-pilot was not happy with the approach. When the commander took over he could not get the helicopter to climb and it continued to fall a great rate. However, there is not explanation about why he had this problem.
Excerpts from the report are shown below.
It is estimated that more than 90% of the helicopter has been recovered including the tail rotor, the main rotor head, the main gearbox and both engines. There are no signs of a mechanical failure prior to the crash
Also, the combined data and voice recorder has been recovered and successfully replayed. From this the following has been determined. "During the later stages f the approach the helicopter slowly pitched nose down and commenced a slow roll to the right. At the same time the collective lever was raised, increasing power from the engines, and the indicated airspeed and altitude began to increase. The crew became unhappy with the approach and decided to abort the attempt to land.
A go around was commenced during which the helicopter continued to roll to the right and pitch nose down. The co-pilot asked for assistance and the commander took control. The data indicates that one second later the helicopter had attained a maximum nose down pitch attitude of 30o, coincident with a bank angle of 38o to the right. The indicated airspeed was increasing through 80 kt, and the radio altitude was reducing through 300 ft with a rate of descent of approximately 1,400 ft per minute. Over the next two and a half seconds, the helicopter rolled level and the pitch atitude reduced to 13o nose down. The radio altitude indicated 170 ft, with an indicated airspeed in excess of 100 kt and a rate of descent of about 1,400 ft per minute. During the next five and a half seconds, there was no significant change in the pitch atitude and the indicated airpseed continued to increase as the helicopter descended; over the same period, the helicopter commenced a slow roll to the right. The last recorded parameters indicate a radio altitude of 30 ft, a 12o nose down pitch atitude, an indicated airspeed of 126 kt, and an angle of bank of 20o to the right.
A review of the recorded data to date has not indicated any problems of a technical nature and no helicopter maneuvers have been identified which were not in response to flight controls."
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Cause remains a mystery
According to the Shields Gazette 31 January 2007 in article 'NO MECHANICAL FAULT' ON HELICOPTER by Carlie Hamiltons Click here
"MYSTERY still surrounds the cause of a helicopter crash"
Flight recorders show the crew were unhappy with their approach and began a 'go-around.'
The helicopter, which was pitched forward at an angle of 38 and banked over to the right, also at an angle of 38, levelled out, but continued to gain speed. It began to roll over to the right again, and when it hit the water it was travelling at a speed of around 126 knots.
The AAIB report said: "The conclusion of this preliminary examination is that there are no signs of pre-impact malfunction of any major mechanical components, including the tail rotor and its drive shaft. "A review of the recorded data to date has not indicated any problems of a technical nature, and no helicopter manoeuvres have been identified which were not in response to flight control inputs.
So what did cause the crash. Referring to a previous post about what generally causes helicopter accidents it seems that mechanical and electrical malfunction have been ruled out. From this list it only leaves operational errors. There is another theory about a gas leak covered by another previous post
"MYSTERY still surrounds the cause of a helicopter crash"
Flight recorders show the crew were unhappy with their approach and began a 'go-around.'
The helicopter, which was pitched forward at an angle of 38 and banked over to the right, also at an angle of 38, levelled out, but continued to gain speed. It began to roll over to the right again, and when it hit the water it was travelling at a speed of around 126 knots.
The AAIB report said: "The conclusion of this preliminary examination is that there are no signs of pre-impact malfunction of any major mechanical components, including the tail rotor and its drive shaft. "A review of the recorded data to date has not indicated any problems of a technical nature, and no helicopter manoeuvres have been identified which were not in response to flight control inputs.
So what did cause the crash. Referring to a previous post about what generally causes helicopter accidents it seems that mechanical and electrical malfunction have been ruled out. From this list it only leaves operational errors. There is another theory about a gas leak covered by another previous post
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Cause 'not mechanical'
30 January 2007 BBC News website
No evidence of major mechanical failure has been found in connection with the Morecambe helicopter, a preliminary report has revealed.
Flight recorders show the crew had been approaching the platform but had become unhappy with the manoeuvre and aborted their attempt to land.
The AAIB report said: "A review of the recorded data to date has not indicated any problems of a technical nature and no helicopter manoeuvres have been identified which were not in response to flight control inputs.
Also, from Guardian Unlimited
Co-pilot Simon Foddering, 33, from Preston, flew the craft from the Millom West platform at 6.26pm and was around 500 yards from North Morecambe when he got into difficulties. Flight recorders show the crew had been approaching the platform but had become unhappy with the manoeuvre and aborted their attempt to land. Mr Foddering began a "go-around" but struggled and asked for help before commander Stephen Potton, 52, took over the controls.
The helicopter, which was pitched forward at an angle of 38 degrees and banked over to the right also at an angle of 38 degrees, levelled out, but continued to gain speed. It began to roll over to the right again and when it hit the water it was travelling at a speed of around 126 knots.
The AAIB report said: "The conclusion of this preliminary examination is that there are no signs of pre-impact malfunction of any major mechanical components, including the tail rotor and its drive shaft. A review of the recorded data to date has not indicated any problems of a technical nature and no helicopter manoeuvres have been identified which were not in response to flight control inputs.
No evidence of major mechanical failure has been found in connection with the Morecambe helicopter, a preliminary report has revealed.
Flight recorders show the crew had been approaching the platform but had become unhappy with the manoeuvre and aborted their attempt to land.
The AAIB report said: "A review of the recorded data to date has not indicated any problems of a technical nature and no helicopter manoeuvres have been identified which were not in response to flight control inputs.
Also, from Guardian Unlimited
Co-pilot Simon Foddering, 33, from Preston, flew the craft from the Millom West platform at 6.26pm and was around 500 yards from North Morecambe when he got into difficulties. Flight recorders show the crew had been approaching the platform but had become unhappy with the manoeuvre and aborted their attempt to land. Mr Foddering began a "go-around" but struggled and asked for help before commander Stephen Potton, 52, took over the controls.
The helicopter, which was pitched forward at an angle of 38 degrees and banked over to the right also at an angle of 38 degrees, levelled out, but continued to gain speed. It began to roll over to the right again and when it hit the water it was travelling at a speed of around 126 knots.
The AAIB report said: "The conclusion of this preliminary examination is that there are no signs of pre-impact malfunction of any major mechanical components, including the tail rotor and its drive shaft. A review of the recorded data to date has not indicated any problems of a technical nature and no helicopter manoeuvres have been identified which were not in response to flight control inputs.
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