What: CHC (for Total) Helicopter Eurocopter EC225 Super Puma en route from Aberdeen to West Phoenix drilling rig
Where: 32 miles south of Shetland, off Fair Isle
When: October 22, 2012
Who: 19 aboard, 0 fatalities
Why: Seventeen passengers and two crew were on the way to the drilling rig when the crew had to ditch the helicopter (controlled ditching) in the North sea.
All 19 aboard were picked up by the Nord Nightingale.
The first official Maritime & Coastguard Agency press release said:
Shetland Coastguard has been coordinating a major search and rescue operation after a helicopter ditched off the coast 15 miles west of Fair Isle this afternoon.There were 19 people on board, all of which have now been accounted for. Three RNLI lifeboats (Kirkwall, Aith and Lerwick) went to the scene, along with the Coastguard Search and Rescue Helicopter from Stornoway, RAF Lossiemouth, and the Bond rescue helicopter from Sumburgh. A vessel in the area at the time – the Nord Nightingale – launched its fast rescue craft. This rescued the 19 people from their life raft and brought them back to the tanker. From here they were flown by the RAF helicopter and Bond helicopter back to Kirkwall.It is believed the helicopter was on its way from Aberdeen to West Phoenix drilling rig.
A Flybe flight made an emergency landing in Edinburgh, Scotland, on February 14th.
Thomas Cook Airlines flight MT-1414 had to return for an emergency landing in Birmingham, England, on July 16th.
Aer Lingus flight EI 281 diverted to Manchester, England, on February 8th.