Pilots who ditched a Super Puma helicopter into the North Sea on Monday received a warning that there was a problem with the aircraft’s gearbox oil and lubrication system – the same problem that another aircraft to ditch less than six months ago.
Seventeen oil workers and two crew were rescued from the North Sea on Monday after the CHC-operated EC225 helicopter ditched 14 miles west of the Fair Isle, near Shetland.
Eurocopter, who manufacture the aircraft, believe the pilot had to ditch the helicopter after receiving the same warning that forced the crew of another EC225 Super Puma to ditch about 30 miles off the coast of Aberdeen in May.
The company's executive vice president Jean-Pierre Dedieu told the Press and Journal newspaper that although he could not reveal the full details of the problem, he admitted that the pilot confirmed to him a warning on his control panel indicated there was a problem with the gearbox oil and lubrication - an identical warning to May's incident.
However Mr Dedieu, 66, insisted the helicopters were safe to use.
He said: "There is nothing wrong with the design of the aircraft or the design of the gearbox.
"Our helicopters are safe. But we need to fully understand what has happened on Monday."
Mr Dedieu, who has spent more than 40 years at Eurocopter, admitted that he had a job on his hands trying to convince oil workers that their helicopters are safe to fly on.
He said: "We have to explain and convince the workforce that this aircraft is safe.
"I know they have questions - but don't forget the safety record of the aircraft since the 1980s.
"The Super Puma is probably one of the best helicopters for offshore operations.
"We have accumulated three million flying hours throughout the world without a fatality in the EC225."
Despite Mr Dedieu's message, Unite union said their members had increasingly "serious concerns" about the safety of helicopters.
The ditched helicopter arrived into Peterhead harbour on the Olympic Zeus at around 4am on Wednesday and air accident investigators will now examine the aircraft.
The CHC helicopter was carrying an oil crew from Aberdeen to a rig 86 miles north-west of Shetland when it ditched at around 3.30pm.
Last week a report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) revealed that the pilot of the aircraft which ditched in May had done so because of a faulty warning light.
Helicopter operators CHC, Bond and Bristow Helicopters have grounded their EC225 and AS332L2 Super Puma helicopters since the latest incident.
CHC, Bond and Bristow all announced on Wednesday that they will delay bringing the aircraft back into service following the incident.
A spokesman for CHC said: "Following a detailed debrief with the crew and technical experts, CHC is continuing to delay all scheduled commercial flights on Super Puma EC225 aircraft.
"We are going to take a position [on whether the ECC225s are safe to fly] in the next few days, based on the early conclusions of the AAIB.”
In Detail:
Ditched helicopter returned to shore gallery
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