Super Puma FAI: Copter crash cause may never be known, inquiry told
An air accidents investigator has said the reasons why a Super Puma helicopter’s gearbox suffered a “catastrophic” failure may never be known.
Insights
Final instalment of Wood Review due for submission
Sir Ian Wood's final report on the future of the North Sea will land on the desk of the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change this week ahead of its publication in February.
3.6m North Sea helicopter trips in just five years, new figures reveal
Workers in the North Sea oil and gas industry have made more than 3.6million helicopter trips in just five years.
Scotland can lead the way in renewables drive
From the £15million Scottish Innovative Foundation Technologies Fund to support pioneering substructures, to the installation of the world’s largest offshore wind turbine at Methil, our offshore wind sector has many successes to celebrate from the last year.
Pilots to accuse regulators of safety failings over North Sea helicopter flights
Helicopter pilots will accuse regulators today of failing to ensure adequate safety in the oil and gas industry.
Super Puma FAI: New measures should prevent repeat of gearbox failure
Action taken by the manufacturer since the fatal North Sea helicopter disaster of 2009 should prevent the same kind of “catastrophic” gearbox failure happening again, a design expert for the company has said.
Super Puma FAI: Gearbox fragment not the first, inquiry hears
A metal fragment found in the gearbox of the helicopter involved in the 2009 North Sea disaster a week before the tragedy was not the first, it has emerged.
Safety chiefs call for flight briefings change after fatal Super Puma crash
Air accident experts investigating a North Sea helicopter crash which claimed four lives have highlighted a concern about pre-flight safety briefings on emergency equipment.
Super Puma FAI: Gearbox warnings minutes before crash
A sophisticated monitoring system recorded hundreds of warnings about loose metal in the gearbox during the days leading up to the 2009 North Sea helicopter disaster.
Safety alert after gearbox warning on Talisman offshore flight
Safety checks were carried out on a helicopter after a gearbox indicator light was triggered during an offshore flight.
Super Puma FAI: Engineer’s failure to identify gearbox fragment ‘catastrophic’, inquiry told
An engineer’s failure to correctly identify a tiny piece of metal found in the gearbox of a helicopter which later crashed, killing all 16 men on board, had “catastrophic” consequences.
MPs to hear helicopter safety evidence next week
A powerful committee of MPs will travel to Aberdeen next week to take evidence on North Sea helicopter safety.
Jeremy Cresswell’s Energy Week: Watch our new podcast here
The Press and Journal's energy editor, Jeremy Cresswell, picks out his highlights of the last seven days worth of news and events in the oil and gas world.
Employee-owned model reaping benefits for Accord
A positive working culture is embedded within the company and we make every effort to treat employees in the way they would be treated if they owned the company, which they will one day.
Industry now facing up to the dismal facts
At last the penny has dropped with Oil and Gas UK regarding the real state of the North Sea.
Super Puma FAI: New doubts raised over crashed copter’s technical log
Another engineer has cast doubt on the accuracy of a technical log for the Super Puma helicopter which plunged into the North Sea in April 2009, killing 16 people.
Super Puma FAI: Checks on copter found no issues night before crash
Engineers found no sign of any problems with the gearbox of a helicopter the night before it crashed into the North Sea in April 2009, killing everyone on board.
Super Puma FAI: Copter engineers were ‘cautious about everything’ after earlier crash
Bond engineers were “cautious about everything” in the days leading up to the fatal 2009 helicopter tragedy amid ongoing investigations into an earlier crash, a fatal accident inquiry has heard.
Beatrice: Modest yet grand old North Sea lady
Energy editor Jeremy Cresswell pays tribute to one of the North Sea's most remarkable survivors as Ithaca prepares to call time on the historic Beatrice field.
More must be done to address renewables skills gap
The energy sector is facing a possible skills crisis in the next decade due to the prospect of losing up to 80% of its workforce, mainly due to retirement. writes Sarah Johnson. Companies have to become aware of this fact and start acting now to ensure, that in ten years’ time, there are adequately-skilled people to step in.
Super Puma FAI: Crash copter’s gearbox was due to be replaced, inquiry hears
The fatal accident inquiry into the 2009 North Sea helicopter catastrophe continues to focus on the events surrounding the discovery of a metal fragment in the gearbox just weeks before the aircraft crashed.
Scotland Decides: SNP energy plans ‘unworkable’, warns Carmichael
Proposals to force UK consumers to subsidise renewables in an independent Scotland, and buy back energy to keep the lights on, have been branded “wrong-headed” and “unworkable”.
Super Puma FAI: New rules would have grounded crash copter
Maintenance guidelines introduced since the 2009 North Sea helicopter disaster would have led to the immediate grounding of the doomed Super Puma.
Super Puma FAI: Crash copter was grounded over gearbox fears week before disaster
Flights of a helicopter that crashed into the North Sea killing 16 men were temporarily halted just a week before the accident after a problem was discovered with its gearbox, an inquiry has heard.
Are immigration changes the solution to energy sector’s skills shortage?
It’s no secret that the oil and gas sector has a shortage of engineering professionals and graduates in the UK. Contributing to this problem is the fact that many school children post the age of 16 do not chose to study the maths and sciences which are required in order to progress into an engineering career.