What happened
On 22 July 2024, an AW189 helicopter, registration G-FSAR, was conducting a search and rescue mission approximately 190 nm east of Stanley Airfield in the Falkland Islands. The aircraft was responding to a distress call from a fishing vessel that was taking on water and preparing to abandon ship. The mission was conducted under severe meteorological conditions, characterized by 8-meter waves and winds gusting up to 50 knots.
Upon arrival, the crew assessed the vessel, which was listing heavily. Due to the extreme movement of the ship and the risks involved, the crew initially determined that attempting to winch survivors from the vessel was too hazardous. The focus shifted to a nearby life raft, but during an attempt to reach it, the winchman sustained neck and shoulder injuries after being submerged by a large wave.
As the crew prepared to depart due to critical fuel limitations, a person was spotted in the water. The crew attempted a final recovery. However, the casualty's survival suit was heavily contaminated with fuel and saturated with water, making the individual significantly heavier than anticipated and extremely slippery. While being hoisted toward the aircraft door, the casualty's arm slipped from the single rescue strop being used. The crew struggled to pull the heavy, unresponsive individual into the cabin, but the casualty ultimately slipped from the strop and fell back into the sea. Due to the exhaustion of the aircraft's calculated endurance, no further rescue attempts were made by the helicopter.
The investigation
The investigation examined the aircraft's flight logs, fuel calculations, and the environmental conditions at the scene. Investigators reviewed the commander's pre-flight calculations, which had accounted for a pessimistic groundspeed to ensure a safe return to Stanley. The investigation also looked into the technical aspects of the rescue equipment, specifically the use of a single rescue strop necessitated by the difficult conditions, and the impact of the heavy, fuel-soaked survival suit on the weight and stability of the casualty during the hoist.
Findings
- The rescue attempt was complicated by extreme sea states and high winds that made maintaining a stable hover and secure contact with the casualty difficult.
- The casualty's survival suit was heavily weighted by water ingress and made slippery by fuel contamination.
- The use of only one rescue strop, because the second could not be positioned in the heavy swell, contributed to the casualty's arm slipping out.
- The aircraft was operating near the edge of its calculated range, leaving no margin for additional rescue attempts once the initial time on scene was exceeded.