Accident Overview
On 9 March 2008 at 1712 UTC, an Aerospatiale SA365N Dauphin helicopter, registration G-BKXD, struck a deck-mounted crane while manoeuvring to land on the Leman 27AD helideck in the southern North Sea. The two crew and five passengers were uninjured. The helicopter's fenestron tail fairing was damaged, and the emergency locator transmitter was triggered. Further inspection was expected to reveal more extensive damage to the tailboom.
Flight History
The crew reported for duty at Humberside Airport before 0600 hrs. The helicopter had been at Humberside for rectification of a door fault and departed at 0626 hrs to return to the Leman gas field. The day's tasking involved transferring personnel between installations. The accident occurred during the second duty period, after the crew had rested. The commander was the handling pilot from the right seat. The helicopter was close to its maximum operating weight for a three-minute flight from Leman 27D to Leman 27AD.
Approach and Collision
The helicopter approached the platform from the east, positioned on the southern side, and translated right towards the helipad. As it neared the landing point, the rear of the helicopter struck guardrails on a crane adjacent to the helipad, 12 ft above the deck. The crew continued the landing, and passengers disembarked normally. The wind was from 210° at 12–20 kt.
Operational Context
The operator's operations manual described two landing profiles: a standard into-wind approach and an offset approach. The non-handling pilot was to monitor and call out deviations, including "55 KNOTS" and "COMMITTED." The CVR recorded very little communication between the pilots during the relevant flights; no briefings were captured, and standard calls were generally not made. On the accident flight, the co-pilot first said "ALL GOOD" then made the "55 KNOTS" call. The only other exchange was the co-pilot calling torque at 90%, almost coincident with the strike.
Factors Considered
The operator's investigation noted that the commander believed the helicopter could not hover out of ground effect at the operating weight. The approach was from the south side, where the crane was located, rather than the north, which would have been more into wind. The helicopter was lower than recommended when crossing the deck edge. The investigation also considered accumulated fatigue, as the crew were on day 12 of a 14-day tour. Choice of approach profile, limited helicopter performance, approach technique, and possible fatigue were considered factors.