By Kjetil Malkenes Hovland
OSLO -- Eleven bodies have been found after a helicopter crashed
off the west coast of Norway on its way back to the mainland from
an offshore oil field, local police said Friday.
The helicopter, operated by CHC Helicopter Service, was carrying
11 Norwegians, one Italian and one U.K. citizen, a police spokesman
said.
The search was called off in the late afternoon, and all 13
aboard have been presumed dead.
"It sounded a bit like thunder," said Vegard Jostein Turoy, 24,
who witnessed the accident from inside a nearby wooden cabin.
"First, I heard a helicopter overhead but barely noticed it. Then I
heard some strange noises and creaking sounds, and when I looked
out the window I saw the helicopter coming down."
The helicopter was traveling to Bergen Airport from Statoil
ASA's Gullfaks B oil field, and crashed at a small island northwest
of Norway's second city Bergen. Mr. Turoy estimated that he was
about 1.5 kilometers (0.93 mile) away from the crash site, and said
the rotor separated from the helicopter, an Airbus H225, and that
the aircraft slammed into the ground.
"When I saw it, I thought: there won't be much left. There was
an explosion, and a fire that lasted for a long time," he said.
The crash marks the first fatal helicopter accident in Norway's
offshore sector since 1997, when another Airbus helicopter crashed
on the way from the mainland to the Norne field and 12 people
died.
"Exact details of the incident are not yet known," CHC
Helicopter said. "The company's Incident Management Team is being
mobilized."
British and Norwegian authorities have suspended commercial
operations of Airbus EC 225 helicopters, according to Bristow Group
Inc., an energy-sector helicopter provider working in the North
Sea.
Norwegian oil-service company Aker Solutions confirmed that
three of its employees and a contractor were among the helicopter
passengers. U.S. oil-service company Halliburton confirmed late
Friday that four of its employees were on the helicopter that
crashed. The company didn't disclose their nationalities.
"Halliburton is saddened to confirm that it had four employees
on board the helicopter that crashed off the coast of Norway early
this morning," a spokesperson said.
A spokesman for the U.K. Foreign Office confirmed that a U.K.
citizen had died in the crash, and said the government had offered
support to the family.
The Airbus helicopter is one of the most commonly used models
for the oil and gas sector. The model has had safety issues,
though. The helicopter maker had to redesign the gearbox after
issues were found following two ditchings in 2012, which also
temporarily led to restrictions on flights over water.
Flights using a similar Airbus helicopter model were briefly
suspended in 2013 following a fatal crash off the coast of
Scotland. The helicopter also was operated by CHC Helicopter.
"Airbus Helicopters has been informed about an accident," Airbus
said. "We are now assessing the situation and stand ready to fully
support the authorities in their investigation."
The crash comes at a difficult time for commercial helicopter
makers. The prolonged slump in crude prices has led oil and gas
companies to cut capital expenditures, weighing on demand for new
helicopters.
Parent CHC Group Ltd. is already in financial trouble and has
warned in regulatory filings that it could be forced to seek
bankruptcy protection.
The company has struggled under successive private equity owners
to restructure a heavy debt load, and on April 15 missed an
interest payment, triggering a 30-day grace period that could lead
it to default on more debt if it doesn't make up the arrears.
Vancouver-based CHC is one of two global helicopter operators
alongside Houston-based Bristow Group Inc. which have been forced
by the energy downturn to cut costs and staff.
CHC was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange in February,
two years after an IPO that saw the company valued at its peak at
more than $1.2 billion. The stock was recently down 6.5% at 70
cents, valuing it at $1.9 million. Bristow gained almost 4% in
early trade.
The Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority said it had temporarily
grounded all similar helicopters on the Norwegian shelf in response
to the accident.
Statoil said it had set up an emergency organization to handle
the situation. A phone line has been set up for the families of
those on board the downed chopper, and a center for the next of kin
has been set up at a local hotel.
There is a significant rescue operation at the scene of the
crash, including two Sea King search and rescue helicopters, navy
vessels, divers, and fire crew, a rescue center official said.
The Norwegian Accident Investigation Board said it was on its
way to the crash site. The British Air Accidents Investigation
Branch said it was sending a team of inspectors to assist its
Norwegian counterpart in the probe.
The Cologne, Germany-based European Aviation Safety Agency also
said it would support the probe.
National police said a team was on its way to help identify the
deceased.
Write to Kjetil Malkenes Hovland at
kjetilmalkenes.hovland@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 29, 2016 15:42 ET (19:42 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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