BP suspends link with helicopter firm after crash
Investigation focuses on mechanical failure as police release names of 15 victims
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Your support makes all the difference.The oil giant BP, whose Miller off-shore field was the departure point for the Super Puma helicopter which plunged into the sea in clear weather conditions off the Abersdeenshire coast on Wednesday afternoon, announced yesterday that it was discontinuing all flights with Bond, the company operating the aircraft, until it was clear what had caused the crash. Grampian Police released the names of all but one of the victims, saying there was no hope that survivors would be found. The two pilots and their passengers were aged between 24 and 63 and came from across Britain, with the majority living in north-east Scotland. One man came from Latvia.
As books of condolence were opened in Aberdeen, the daughter of Gareth Hughes, 53, from Arbroath, Angus – one of nine victims employed by oil engineering contractor KCA Deutag – revealed that officials had been unable to tell her family whether or not he had been on board the helicopter.
Victoria Williams said: "I'm sure there's some sort of manifest or record of who is on flights. I am saddened by the fact they couldn't even give us the respect to tell that my dad was on the flight."
The Bond Super Puma AS 33L Mk II, which had just completed 10,000 hours of flying time, had been due to return to Aberdeen heliport with its 14 passengers at 2.15pm. Air traffic controllers received a brief mayday message at 1.57pm, after which it is thought that the helicopter fell headlong into the sea at its cruising speed of about 175mph, killing its occupants instantly.
The death toll means the accident is the worst helicopter crash in Britain since a Chinook crashed off Shetland in 1986 with the loss of 45 lives.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch has sent a team of 13 investigators to Aberdeen to pinpoint the cause of the crash. It is understood they are looking into a sudden mechanical failure, leading to a complete loss of power or control of the helicopter.
BP, which has operated the huge Miller field since its discovery in 1982, said it was suspending the use of Bond flights to allow the aviation company's staff some time to recover but flights would only be resumed when it was "safe to do so". A spokesman added: "We need to make sure the people in charge of safety-critical equipment have their minds fully on the job."
The accident is the second involving a Bond Super Puma in recent months after another aircraft ditched in the North Sea in February as it tried to land on another BP oil platform. There were no fatalities.
Three MPs yesterday called for the Civil Aviation Authority to consider grounding Super Pumas in the light of the accidents.
Bond said yesterday that there appeared to be no link between the two incidents and insisted that the Super Puma, manufactured by Eurocopter, had an excellent safety record.
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