26:
323:. The non-handling pilot carried out a "rotor track and balance" procedure; the increase in vibration did not cause the crew any immediate concern and the procedure was carried out to enable the Integrated Vehicle Health and Usage Monitoring System (IVHUMS) to log rotor track and balance data for later analysis.
401:
coroner's officer launched legal action over claims he suffered stress following the tragedy, claiming compensation, stating he received insufficient support at the time of the incident and in its aftermath. A Norfolk police spokesman confirmed the traumatic nature of the 2002 incident for all those
266:
arrived later that day and began the recovery of bodies and wreckage, five more bodies being retrieved. An underwater search for the remaining missing body was eventually halted on 23 July. A surface vessel search was maintained for two more days and an aerial search until 30 July, without success.
334:
blades exhibited only superficial damage, the fourth was fractured at a position approximately 76.75 in (1,949 mm) from the blade root, while the main rotor gearbox's casing was also fractured. Neither the gearbox nor the rotor head could be recovered. The rotor blade, which had been
224:
heard "a loud bang". No witnesses were watching the aircraft at the time, but some saw it dive steeply into the sea. A witness also reported seeing the helicopter's rotor head with rotor blades attached falling into the sea after the body of the helicopter had impacted.
326:
Frequency spectrum analysis of the audio recordings indicated an increase in the amplitude of frequencies associated with main rotor vibration towards the end of the recording. The recording ended abruptly with three unusual, probably structure-borne, sounds.
244:, which was about 1.5 mi (2.4 km) from the location, immediately launched its two fast rescue craft, which recovered four bodies and some floating debris. The search was continued, resulting in the recovery of another body.
565:
626:
350:, reached the opinion that the electrical energy imparted by the lightning strike in 1999 exploited an anomaly that was built into the blade at manufacture and damaged the
1034:
248:
Coastguard launched rescue helicopters and other vessels arrived on the scene that night, but no survivors or further bodies were recovered from the surface of the sea.
1044:
619:
1029:
1019:
998:
992:
612:
1054:
557:
387:
Earlier, in late 2003, the company
Bristow had agreed to a compensation deal for five children, whose fathers were killed in the crash.
251:
An underwater search for the six missing bodies began on 17 July, the debris field was located in 40 m (130 ft) of water by a
534:"S3/2002 - Sikorsky S76 (Modified), G-BJVX: Air Accidents Investigation Branch Aircraft Accident Report No: 1/ 2005 (EW/C2002/07/04)"
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292:
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537:
391:
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355:
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930:
366:
Shell suspended North Sea helicopter flights by the operator for six weeks after the accident until 3 September 2002.
730:
920:
810:
636:
424:
296:
533:
449:
206:
980:
970:
940:
690:
358:
report stated that the manufacturers should have noticed the error, unless it was permitted by concession.
220:
The 22-year-old helicopter was flying at an altitude of about 320 ft (98 m) when workers on the
740:
680:
670:
660:
1049:
1039:
900:
880:
870:
780:
710:
252:
1024:
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revealed that the crew were unaware of any significant abnormality until the flight from the
260:
93:
25:
720:
276:
8:
770:
593:
581:
561:
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373:
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Investigators discovered the accident was caused by the failure of a main rotor blade.
347:
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700:
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429:
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workers as passengers). The body of the eleventh man has never been recovered.
228:
The accident caused the death of all those on board (two crew members and nine
181:
76:
1013:
380:
returned a verdict of
Accidental Death on 2 November 2005 on the basis of an
545:
319:
platform. About 4.5 minutes into this flight, they discussed an increase in
195:
while it was making a ten-minute flight between the gas production platform
339:
in 1999, when it was repaired by the manufacturer and returned to service.
450:"Aircraft Accident Report 1/2005 - Sikorsky S-76A+, G-BJVX, 16 July 2002"
407:
279:, was brought ashore at Great Yarmouth on 21 July, and transferred to an
184:
30:
A Bristow
Helicopters Sikorsky S-76 similar to the accident helicopter
336:
320:
288:
284:
192:
402:
involved, the more so since it had occurred on the eve of a one-day
634:
597:
585:
549:
515:
497:
479:
398:
177:
65:
342:
After the accident, the AAIB and the helicopter's manufacturer,
291:, where it was examined by investigators from the AAIB, the US
61:
390:
The names of the deceased are engraved on a glass porch in
377:
191:, crashed in the evening of 16 July 2002 in the southern
369:
The inquest into the deaths opened on 31 October at the
330:
Wreckage analysis showed that, while three of the main
406:
of council's workers in the UK and two days before a
1035:
Accidents and incidents involving the
Sikorsky S-76
1045:Aviation accidents and incidents in the North Sea
1011:
335:manufactured in March 1981, had been struck by
299:, the aircraft manufacturer, and the operator.
60:28 nmi (52 km; 32 mi) northeast
275:The wreckage, which included the helicopter's
620:
1030:Aviation accidents and incidents in Norfolk
627:
613:
24:
1020:Aviation accidents and incidents in 2002
831:Swiss International Air Lines Flight 850
420:1983 British Airways Sikorsky S-61 crash
961:Laoag International Airlines Flight 585
891:Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise Flight 9560
1055:July 2002 events in the United Kingdom
1012:
476:"Rig flights resume after fatal crash"
608:
456:. Air Accidents Investigation Branch
293:National Transportation Safety Board
235:
761:China Northern Airlines Flight 6136
594:"Service for helicopter crash dead"
512:"Police sued over dead body stress"
384:report finalised during that year.
13:
841:Bristow Helicopters Sikorsky crash
821:Prestige Airlines Boeing 707 crash
538:Air Accidents Investigation Branch
392:St Nicholas Church, Great Yarmouth
356:Air Accidents Investigation Branch
281:Air Accidents Investigation Branch
205:, after which it was to return to
14:
1066:
582:"Helicopter deaths 'an accident'"
564:. 1 November 2005. Archived from
494:"Rig flight crash 'compensation'"
19:2002 Bristow Sikorsky S-76A crash
851:PB4Y-2 Privateer airtanker crash
811:America West Airlines Flight 556
637:Aviation accidents and incidents
558:"Crash helicopter was vibrating"
425:Aviation accidents and incidents
270:
931:Total Linhas Aéreas Flight 5561
911:Shangri-La Air Twin Otter crash
297:Federal Aviation Administration
921:Rico Linhas Aéreas Flight 4823
861:Africa One Antonov An-26 crash
791:C-130 Hercules airtanker crash
546:"History of North Sea crashes"
504:
486:
468:
442:
307:The audio recordings from the
1:
526:
981:Aeromist-Kharkiv Flight 2137
971:TransAsia Airways Flight 791
941:Northwest Airlines Flight 85
801:Überlingen mid-air collision
741:Jalandhar India MiG-21 crash
361:
7:
681:Garuda Indonesia Flight 421
671:Siberia Airlines Flight 852
413:
215:
10:
1071:
990:
881:Sknyliv air show disaster
871:FedEx Express Flight 1478
781:China Airlines Flight 611
711:Iran Air Tours Flight 956
652:
253:remotely operated vehicle
166:
158:
150:
142:
134:
118:
102:
92:
82:
72:
56:
48:
40:
35:
23:
751:EAS Airlines Flight 4226
435:
302:
240:The rig Standby Vessel,
106:Gas production platform
52:Main rotor blade failure
691:Shelkovskaya Mi-8 crash
222:Global Santa Fe Monarch
203:Global Santa Fe Monarch
124:Global Santa Fe Monarch
344:Stratford, Connecticut
309:Cockpit voice recorder
261:Diving Support Vessel
201:and the drilling rig
901:Khankala Mi-26 crash
721:Air China Flight 129
277:flight data recorder
999:► 2003
993:2001 ◄
771:EgyptAir Flight 843
731:Pirelli Tower crash
562:Eastern Daily Press
482:. 3 September 2002.
189:Bristow Helicopters
87:Bristow Helicopters
20:
996:
951:Luxair Flight 9642
588:. 2 November 2005.
500:. 29 October 2003.
180:-based commercial
73:Aircraft type
18:
1005:
1004:
518:. 17 August 2007.
348:Sikorsky Aircraft
236:Search and rescue
174:
173:
1062:
1050:2000s in Norfolk
1040:North Sea energy
997:
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568:on 19 March 2007
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315:platform to the
259:on 19 July. The
257:Kommandor Subsea
255:from the vessel
242:Putford Achilles
68:, United Kingdom
28:
21:
17:
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1069:
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1025:2002 in England
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701:TAME Flight 120
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600:. 16 July 2008.
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552:. 17 July 2002.
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430:Aviation safety
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374:Coroner's Court
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207:Norwich Airport
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404:general strike
371:Great Yarmouth
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283:facility near
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246:Great Yarmouth
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182:Sikorsky S-76A
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77:Sikorsky S-76A
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271:Investigation
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122:Drilling rig
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103:Flight origin
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1007:
840:
570:. Retrieved
566:the original
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488:
470:
458:. Retrieved
453:
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410:to Norwich.
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187:operated by
175:
127:
123:
111:
107:
94:Registration
44:16 July 2002
15:
661:Tampa crash
460:30 December
408:royal visit
397:In 2007, a
119:Destination
1014:Categories
527:References
454:www.gov.uk
185:helicopter
176:G-BJVX, a
151:Fatalities
135:Passengers
362:Aftermath
337:lightning
321:vibration
289:Hampshire
285:Aldershot
193:North Sea
167:Survivors
130:gas field
114:gas field
112:Sole Pitt
598:BBC News
586:BBC News
550:BBC News
516:BBC News
498:BBC News
480:BBC News
414:See also
376:and the
216:Accident
159:Injuries
83:Operator
36:Accident
641: (
639:in 2002
572:29 July
540:. 2005.
399:Norwich
346:-based
317:Monarch
313:Clipper
198:Clipper
178:Norwich
108:Clipper
66:Norfolk
49:Summary
977:Dec 23
967:Dec 21
957:Nov 11
927:Sep 14
917:Aug 30
907:Aug 22
897:Aug 19
887:Jul 28
877:Jul 27
867:Jul 26
857:Jul 26
847:Jul 18
837:Jul 16
827:Jul 10
787:Jun 17
777:May 25
727:Apr 18
717:Apr 15
707:Feb 12
697:Jan 28
687:Jan 27
677:Jan 16
667:Jan 14
354:. The
98:G-BJVX
62:Cromer
947:Nov 6
937:Oct 9
817:Jul 4
807:Jul 1
797:Jul 1
767:May 7
757:May 7
747:May 4
737:May 3
657:Jan 5
436:Notes
332:rotor
303:Cause
230:Shell
128:Leman
643:2002
574:2008
462:2018
382:AAIB
378:jury
352:spar
295:and
264:Mayo
143:Crew
57:Site
41:Date
1016::
596:.
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560:.
548:.
536:.
514:.
496:.
478:.
452:.
394:.
287:,
209:.
154:11
126:,
110:,
64:,
645:)
628:e
621:t
614:v
576:.
464:.
170:0
162:0
146:2
138:9
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