A fault with a tail rotor bearing that caused a CHC-operated Sikorsky S-92 helicopter to crash land on a North Sea platform helideck could have occurred earlier when the aircraft was above the sea, UK investigators have found.
Indications of the problem, which happened as the helicopter was coming into land on Total’s West Franklin wellhead platform in the central North Sea more than a year ago, were detected by ground crew before the accident but not acted upon, the UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said in a report.
