Many dead in large Norwegian helicopter accident
Apr 29, 2016
A Norwegian offshore helicopter was lost in a fatal accident west of Bergen in southern Norway today, 29th of April. The accident occurred near Turøy Island moments prior to 12:00 local time, just as the helicopter had reached the coastline. The aircraft involved in the accident was an offshore H225 helicopter engaged in North Sea operations, and it was on its way home to Bergen-Flesland Airport from the offshore Gullfaks B oil platform when the accident struck - with only minutes left to its destination.
The aircraft carried 11 passengers and a crew of two. The Rescue Coordination Centre is confirming the recovery of many dead bodies from the scene, and all on board are believed to have lost their lives.
Witnesses, videos and post-impact images are indicating that the five-blade main rotor assembly came loose prior to impact. Airbus soon announced that it had decided to put all commercial EC225LP passenger flights on hold until preliminary elements of the accident inquiry becomes available.