A gearbox warning light was behind the latest Super Puma ditching – the same problem which grounded the helicopter fleet just six months ago.
But last night one of the top bosses at manufacturer Eurocopter insisted the aircraft is safe.
Seventeen oil workers and two crew had to be rescued from the North Sea on Monday after the CHC-operated chopper – an EC225 model – ditched 14 miles west of the Fair Isle.
Today the Press and Journal can reveal that the pilot put the aircraft down after systems warned there was a problem with the gearbox oil and lubrication. The same warning forced the crew of another EC225 Super Puma to ditch about 30 miles off the coast of Aberdeen in May.
CHC, Bond Offshore and Bristow have now grounded their Super Pumas as air accident investigators piece together what caused Monday’s incident.
And last night the Unite union said their members now had “serious concerns” about the safety of the helicopters.
Eurocopter’s executive vice-president Jean-Pierre Dedieu admitted yesterday that the firm has a major task convincing the offshore workforce that there are no problems with the wider fleet.
However, he insists that the helicopter is safe.
“There is nothing wrong with the design of the aircraft or the design of the gearbox,” he said. “Our helicopters are safe. But we need to fully understand what has happened on Monday.”
He could not reveal full details of the problem – but preliminary talks with the pilots of the ditched copter confirmed a gearbox problem was to blame.
“What they (the crew) say at the moment is that there was an alarm in the gearbox,” he said.
“There was a warning for oil and gear lubrication, but I don’t know the full detail. This is under scrutiny now.”
The 66-year-old – who has spent more than 40 years at Eurocopter – said the helicopter was still fully operational when it landed on the water.
“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,” he said. “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 – don’t forget that.”
He told workers: “You can have confidence in the Eurocopter product. We will find a way to resume flights soon and in a safe manner. We have a very good aircraft in the EC225, and we don’t compromise on safety.”
A spokesman for CHC said yesterday: “Following a detailed debrief with the crew and technical experts, CHC is continuing to delay all scheduled commercial flights on Super Puma EC225 aircraft.”
Mr Dedieu added: “It was not a Eurocopter decision, but I can understand in the context why they did what they did.
“We are going to take a position (on whether the EC225s are safe to fly) in the next few days, based on the early conclusions of the AAIB. It is very difficult for us to take a position without knowing the full detail of what happened.”
Both Eurocopter and the AAIB will begin examining the helicopter this morning.