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Helicopter crash oil workers 'in good spirits' after rescue
Rashid Razaq19 Feb 2009
OIL workers whose helicopter crashed near a North Sea platform arrived at a port "in good spirits" today.
The 15 were rescued last night after the Super Puma helicopter plunged into the sea 125 miles east of Aberdeen while on the way to the BP production platform.
Three others with minor injuries were flown to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary before being discharged overnight. A boat carrying the rest of the passengers and crew docked in Aberdeen at 5.30am.
A BP spokesman said the oil workers were in "good shape" and their "spirits were high".
"We want to pay tribute to the people who helped us in this incident," she said.
The cause of the accident is not yet known but the Air Accidents Investigation Branch is investigating.
Coastguards described the rescue operation as "textbook", despite foggy and misty conditions.
Reader views (2)
Its proven that the pilots were professionally trained and able to ditch the helicopter safely and saved the crew and oil workers. Accidents do happen, and we will always need to be prepared for any unexpected scenario.
- Hj Mahadee Bhd, Brunei, 20/02/2009 13:20
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This is the second helicopter crash within a few years on its way to an oil rig, the last one in Morecambe Bay ended with tragic loss of life. Is it really too expensive to use boats to ferry the personel, after all should there be an accident involving injury or loss of life, the enormous amounts of premium which the insurance companies are paid could be offset against the boats operating costs. It these crashes become more frequent the Insurance Companies will decline cover. Also following a fatal crash the Insurance Companies have to pay compensation which can never adequetly replace the loss of a loved one. These 15 oil workers were lucky, of course the horrific senario is that the helicopter could have crashed on the oil rig and how much would that have cost and how many killed or injured.
- Jim Alan, Kendal, 20/02/2009 02:22
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