North Sea operator Equinor has released details of an internal investigation into a fatal helicopter crash off the coast of Norway in February.
61-year-old nurse and Equinor employee Reidun Hestetun died and five others were injured when the Sikorsky S-92 search and rescue (SAR) helicopter crashed during a training exercise.
Investigators later recovered the wreckage of the Bristow-operated helicopter, including its ‘black box’ flight recorder, from a depth of 220 metres after it sank to the sea floor.
Norwegian authorities are continuing their investigation into the crash, with authorities working to determine why the helicopter’s floating batons did not deploy.
Equinor said its investigation aims to “ensure that lessons are learned from the accident” and to identify actions and measures the company can take to improve is SAR service and accident preparedness.
The report outlined recommendations for improvements to training and drills, the availability of protective equipment, and internal emergency response protocols.
Other recommendations included adapting helicopter windows to ensure night vision goggles can be used by crew in the rear cabin, and immediately suspending flights for 24 hours following an incident.
The report also recommended a new assessment of whether measures taken following a fatal crash near Turoy in 2016 have “had the expected long-term effect” in improving safety.
Equinor chief executive officer Anders Opedal said: ““It’s important that we examine this in depth to make sure we learn from this serious accident.
“The investigation has uncovered findings and points to specific improvement items that we will follow up to further strengthen Equinor’s SAR service and accident preparedness.”
Equinor said the recommended actions in its report “do not provide a basis for drawing conclusions as to whether these factors have had an impact on the cause or the outcome of the incident”.
The Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority (NSIA) is responsible for establishing the cause of the accident, and its investigation is ongoing.
Recommended for you
