What happened
On 18 February 2009, a Eurocopter EC225 LP Super Puma, registration G-REDU, struck the sea surface approximately 500 metres south of the ETAP oil production platform in the North Sea Central Area. The aircraft was performing a commercial passenger flight at night when the incident occurred. Following the impact, the helicopter remained afloat, allowing the crew and 16 passengers to evacuate into two liferafts. While all 18 occupants escaped without fatalities, 3 passengers sustained minor injuries.
Despite immediate rescue efforts involving the ETAP platform and a Search and Rescue (SAR) operation, it took 27 minutes before the occupied liferafts were identified. The search was complicated by darkness, fog, and the failure of certain emergency signaling equipment to provide immediate guidance to rescue aircraft.