The new helicopter of choice for North Sea operations has been pictured making an emergency landing on an offshore platform.
The Sikorsky S92 aircraft was involved in the incident on the Sevan Brazil drilling rig off the coast Brazil on Saturday.
Footage taken from the helideck shows the offshore chopper coming in to land before the tail rotor clips what appears to be a nearby mast. The impact shears off the rear stabilising wing on the tail rotor before the aircraft bounces onto the helideck.
Photos of what is believed to be the same incident, posted on an online pilots’ forum, show the aftermath of the incident.
Damage can be seen on the tail rotor and on the left pontoon.
The S92 helicopter became the mainstay of the UK fleet after the UK-wide grounding of the Super Puma fleet last year.
The flight ban came into effect after a fatal helicopter crash off Norway last year, in which 13 people died, including Iain Stuart, 41, of Laurencekirk.
A spokesman for CHC Helicopters confirmed that an investigation has been launched.
The spokesman said: “We can confirm that on April 15, 2017 at 4.35pm local time, an S92 (PR-CHR) experienced an emergency landing on the helideck of offshore platform SS86 in Brazil.
“The crew responded immediately in accordance with their training and successfully landed the aircraft. There were no reported injuries among the passengers or the crew.
“The Regional Accident Investigation and Prevention Services (Juris SERIPA), the Centre of Investigation, Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (CENIPA), and the National Civil Aviation Agency Brazil (ANAC) have been notified.
“SERIPA will carry out the primary investigation with the full support of CHC Brazil.”
A spokesman for rig owner Sevan Drilling added: “At around 4:40pm on April 15 a Sikorsky S92 helicopter sustained minor damage after making contact with a rig on landing.
“The helicopter landed safely and no injuries were sustained by personnel on the helicopter or the rig.
“All personnel have been safely accounted for.
“Rig operations were halted temporarily as a precaution.”
A spokesman for helicopter maker Sikorsky said: “We are aware of the incident and will work closely with our customer and investigative authorities as requested to determine the root cause.
“At this point, we have no further information.”
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