A Sikorsky S-76D on crew change duty in India’s “Mumbai High” offshore development area (ODA) ditched at sea June 28, killing four of the nine people on board. The five survivors, including the two pilots, were recovered from the sea and brought ashore.
The helicopter, operated by Pawan Hans Helicopters (PHL) for the state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC), had taken off from Juhu helibase around 10:54 a.m. local time, and was on final approach to ONGC driller Sagar Kiran when it ditched at 11:45 a.m. about 60 nautical miles from Mumbai.
The ONGC said it immediately activated a contingency plan and pressed navy, coast guard and ONGC assets into service. Four of the survivors were rescued from the sea by offshore support vessel Malviya-16 on standby duty, while another was picked up by the drill ship’s lifeboat.
The four fatalities included three ONGC employees and a contract worker. An inquiry into the accident has begun.
It is the third fatal accident for PHL offshore in the last seven years. The previous two accidents that claimed a total of nine lives involved AS365 N3 Dauphin helicopters.
The Sikorsky S-76D involved in the latest incident was one of six recently inducted by PHL to replace the legacy Dauphins in a staged manner.
PHL crew completed their training on the S-76D with Sikorsky late last year. After on-type training with experienced pilots, PHL crew had started operating the aircraft offshore as early as May this year.
No probable cause has been attributed to the accident thus far. In its press release, ONGC mentioned that rescue operations were conducted under “inclement weather.” June is the opening month of southwest monsoon season in Mumbai ODA, marked by widespread rainfall and accompanying low visibility.
All offshore helicopter operations in India are “VFR-only,” though client requirements stipulate pilots should be instrument rated.
The past two fatal offshore crashes of PHL Dauphins were attributed to loss of control following spatial disorientation.
The accident is under investigation by India’s Air Accident Investigation Bureau.
