Super Puma sikker?

Stakeholders Defend Super Puma’s Safety Record
In the wake of a recent accident, three stakeholders in the Eurocopter Super Puma arena have rallied to support the aircraft’s safety record and image. “We do not believe that the accident was caused by an airworthiness or technical problem,” the UK CAA said in a statement. Meanwhile, Eurocopter CEO Guillaume Faury asserted that “the worldwide safety records of [the Super Puma series] are the best in industry.” He was referring to the various AS332 and EC225 models, though he didn’t provide any hard safety figures for the types. Last, but not least, UK chancellor George Osborne flew offshore in a Bristow-operated AS332L and stated that “the helicopter link is vital for the [oil and gas] industry.” Unusual when the investigation on a fatal accident has just begun, such a comment could be construed as a reaction to the outcry from North Sea workers after the crash. Separately, a UK CAA expert suggested to AIN that comparing the safety records of different helicopter types is a perilous pursuit, citing the preponderance of operational causes and the difficulty of obtaining reliable data on utilization by type.

Jeg må føye til at Randy Padfield, som er Editor in Chief i Aviation Intl. News som har sendt ut denne meldingen, var tidligere mangeårig instruktør i HS på Super Puma L og L1.

Jeg har bare en kommentar:
Airbus Helicopter sier at nytt akslingsbrudd er eliminert. Allikevel kopler de akslingen opp mot HUMS som sågar får et varsellys i cockpit. Hvordan kan de si at dette helikopteret er sikkert? Står det noe i Emergency checklist som f.eks. Land Immediately?

Oil Workers In Public Outcry Over Helo Safety Record

By Tony Osborne

Source: Aviation Week & Space Technolog

September 02, 2013
Credit: Tony Osborne/AW&ST

The sobering images of wreckage floating in the waters off the Shetland Islands are a stark reminder of the dangers faced by offshore oil workers traveling by helicopter.
But the deaths of four workers following the crash of a CHC Scotia-operated Eurocopter AS332L2 Super Puma on Aug. 23 have sparked an unprecedented public outcry that could end up having a dramatic effect on both the oil and gas industry and the helicopter operators that support it.
While the flight suspension for the AS332L2 model and other variants of the Super Puma has now been lifted, almost 40,000 people have given their support to a social media campaign dubbed “Destroy the Super Pumas” set up within hours of the tragedy, calling for the removal of the aircraft and its variants from operational service in the North Sea.
The Facebook page says oil workers are fearful of flying in the type after the fifth accident involving the helicopter in four years. Two of those accidents have claimed a total of 20 lives.
Oil executives are concerned that if the campaign gains traction, the move could result in widespread disruption of oil production in the North Sea, as well as the industries that support it.
In line with a request from the Helicopter Safety Steering Group (HSSG)—a committee formed in response to previous North Sea helicopter accidents—CHC, Bond Offshore Helicopters and the Bristow Group halted operations with the Eurocopter AS322L2 and other Super Puma variants in the U.K., including the older AS332L/L1 models and the more modern EC225, within hours of the accident.
The EC225 had been just returning to service after a nine-month halt from flight operations over water following problems with the bevel gear vertical shaft in the main gearbox.