15 May 2012 Welcome to this special Helicopter Safety Steering Group (HSSG) e-newsletter.

This edition provides a Q&A on offshore helicopter operations in the light of the G-REDW ditching incident on 10 May. Feel free to forward, share or print off this email as you see fit. If you have any queries regarding the HSSG, please email hssg@stepchangeinsafety.net. Best regards, Tim Glasspool, Bristow Helicopters, and Alan Chesterman, Apache North Sea HSSG Co Chairs

What exactly happened? At 12.13pm on 10 May, a Eurocopter EC225 helicopter (registration G-REDW) outbound from Aberdeen going to the Maersk Resilient platform and onto the Ensco 102 made a controlled descent 24 nautical miles offshore. The Captain and Co-pilot made the controlled descent and landed on the sea following standard operating procedures after the helicopter indicated failure of both the main gearbox (MGB) lubrication system and the helicopters emergency lubrication (EMLUB) system. The aircraft remained afloat and upright and the 12 passengers and two crew members were safely recovered and returned to Aberdeen later that day. After a pre-cautionary examination at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, all returned home. What caused the incident? The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has begun its investigation into the cause. The investigation has so far identified a 360 circumferential crack in the bevel gear vertical shaft in the main gearbox, in the vicinity of a manufacturing weld, causing disengagement of the drive to both mechanical oil pumps.

The helicopters manufacturer, Eurocopter, is undertaking detailed analysis of the failed component. In addition, Eurocopter has identified the serial numbers of other shafts which were manufactured in the same batch of 10 as the failed shaft. It has been confirmed that none of the shafts in this batch are currently in use in North Sea helicopters (CHC and Bristow have said none are present in any of their helicopters worldwide). How does this part work? The main gearbox lubrication system includes two mechanically-driven oil pumps and a crew-activated emergency system. The gearbox normally contains 22 litres of oil. The oil pumps (a main pump and a standby pump) are driven by the oil pump drive pinion located on the lower part of the bevel gear vertical shaft within the main gearbox. This particular vertical shaft is fitted to all EC225 and some AS332 L1 and L2 helicopters. The bevel gear vertical shaft is manufactured from two sections welded together. There is a crew-activated emergency lubrication system [MGB EMLUB]; this includes an 11 litre tank of glycol and an electric pump. When selected, the glycol is pumped into the main gearbox with engine bleed air to form a spray. This spray is designed to provide a minimum of 30 minutes of main gearbox cooling and lubrication in the event of total loss of oil lubrication. The MGB EMLUB caption illuminates if there is a failure of this system.

(Image shows L2 gearbox for illustrative purposes) Who decides whether or not its safe to fly now? Essentially, the decision is made by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA); this is the highest regulatory body governing aviation in the EU. EASA is responsible for making rules relating to safety and can be informed by recommendations made by the AAIB.

EASA can, for example, then issue Emergency Airworthiness Directives which helicopter operators must comply with. At a national level, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is responsible for enforcing the rules laid down by EASA. Based on the rules made by Regulators, the helicopter operators then make decisions on their own flight operations, provided they comply with everything they are asked to. Ultimately, pilots have the final say on the day and will not fly unless they are fully comfortable with the situation. What have the Regulators said about this incident? Detailed discussions have taken place between Eurocopter, EASA, the AAIB, the French Bureau d'Enqutes et d'Analyses (BEA) and the CAA, which has established that the EC225 and AS332L2/L1/L fleets continue to be fully airworthy. However, Eurocopter has issued updated instructions to the helicopter operators relating to maintenance and inspection. These instructions have gone through rigorous scrutiny by the AAIB, EASA and CAA to satisfy them that, provided they are adhered to, flight operations can continue safely. If the Regulators had reason to believe operations would be unsafe, these helicopters would not be flying. Its also important to remember that the AAIB has so far made no recommendations to either Regulators or operators. Has anything been done to improve safety after this incident? The instructions issued to helicopter operators by Eurocopter relate specifically to post-flight analysis of HUMS (Health Usage Monitoring System) data. The HUMS system monitors 720 different parameters of a helicopters internal workings, collates this data and provides engineers with detailed technical information including pressure and vibration. This allows engineers to spot potential component degradation or other faults before they happen meaning parts can be changed out before they break. Specifically, the instructions issed by Eurocopter to the operators, which satisfy the Regulators requirements for safe flying in the light of this incident, are: Analyse the HUMS data relating to the two lubrication pumps after every return to the hangar, without exceeding five flight hours. Lower the alarm threshold on the HUMS data. This means potential problems are flagged up at an earlier stage and parts will require to be changed at an earlier stage of degradation. Where the new threshold has been exceeded, or if one of the indicators shows a clear trend, then Eurocopter are to be contacted before resuming flights. Why were some helicopter operators continuing to fly and others not? Bond initially chose not to fly its EC225s while investigations continue into the cause and also suspended flights for the AS332L2 model while they awaited clarification on a number of issues from Eurocopter. However, on 15 May 2012, Bond announced that flights would resume. CHC and Bristow carried out detailed examination of their machines and established that none of their aircraft have the affected serial number of shaft installed. Likewise, the operators have fully satisfied the CAA that, as above, they have increased the scrutiny of their HUMS data and are carrying out additional checks during inspections.

Can pilots be trained for the sort of emergency situation encountered? All offshore helicopter pilots undergo extensive training to prepare them for emergency situations. That said, this was a challenging manoeuvre but one which the pilots regularly practice using a simulator. Pilots undergo simulator training every six months, equating to 20 hours each year. The safe rescue of passengers demonstrates both the effectiveness of the extensive training that all helicopter pilots undergo to prepare them for emergency situations (there are four helicopter simulators in Aberdeen for frequent training, two of which are for the EC225 model) and the regular helicopter evacuation training that all offshore passengers undergo. What happens next? The AAIB continues its investigation into the cause of the incident and the gearbox has been sent to a special facility in Marignane, France. There, under strict supervision of the AAIB, a detailed examination will take place of the failure to the bevel gear vertical shaft in the main gearbox and the reason for the indication of a failure in the emergency lubrication systems. If, during the course of their investigation, the AAIB find anything that requires urgent attention then this will be circulated immediately. What is the HSSG doing? Helicopter safety remains a focus for the oil and gas industry, with the Helicopter Safety Steering Group (HSSG) now an established part of the Step Change in Safety organisation. The HSSG held a meeting on Monday 14 May 2012 to share preliminary information and identify any potential early lessons. Making up the HSSG are helicopter operators, oil and gas operators and contractors, offshore trade unions, the pilots union BALPA, the regulators HSE and CAA and Oil & Gas UK. The HSSG is not a technical group. It, like the wider oil and gas industry, looks to the airworthiness Regulators and investigators for their technical expertise and guidance on aviation matters. The HSSG will, however, be very closely monitoring the ongoing AAIB investigation and any output or recommendations from EASA and the CAA. We will work to quickly communicate all relevant information and widely share throughout industry any learning from this incident, as well as continue our long-term work to improve helicopter safety. There have been a series of helicopter ditches, controlled or otherwise, in recent years. Is UK offshore helicopter travel safe? There is a long held perception that helicopter operations are a high risk mode of transport this is not matched by the statistical evidence. Recent tragic accidents serve as a constant reminder that offshore helicopters operate in a hostile environment and because of this there is the need for continuous improvement to minimise if not eliminate the risks. The Helicopter Task Group and subsequently Step Change in Safetys Helicopter Safety Steering Group are working on this continuous improvement in aviation safety. What sort of improvements? Examples of work undertaken, or being undertaken by the HSSG include: Improvements to helideck lighting around the circle and H Resolution to the issue of interference between personal locator beacons and aircraft beacons during rescue

Introduction of wide area multilateration technology to track offshore flights beyond the reach of radar Introduction of a network of over 50 automatic weather reporting stations to give improved accuracy of weather reports to helicopter operators Progress with the introduction of advanced anomaly detection in HUMS systems How to get in touch You can get in touch with the HSSG via the dedicated inbox hssg@stepchangeinsafety.net. You will also find the groups news at http://www.stepchangeinsafety.net/about/HelicopterSafetySteeringGroup.cfm.