Air Transportation Risk Assessment

The objectives of Air Transportation Risk Assessment are to determine the risk during transportation by helicopter from:

  • Land to Platform
  • Infield movements – from Platform to Platform

Methodology

World-wide helicopter accidents have been reported in the World Aircraft Accident Summary (WAAS) since 1946. This was updated annually by the UK Civil Aviation Authority. It covers all known reportable accidents to turbine-powered helicopters. This includes virtually all offshore helicopter operations.

Reportable accidents are defined by WAAS according to ICAO (1974) as events occurring while people are on board in order to make a flight, involving:

  • Death or serious injury
  • Substantial damage defined as repair costs exceeding 10% of the aircraft’s value
  • Loss of the aircraft

It excludes hangar fires, damage contained within an engine, and deaths and injuries caused by slips and falls, food poisoning, turbulence, onboard machinery, etc.

The International Association of Oil and Gas Producers have prepared a report on the Safety Performance of Helicopter Operations in the Oil and Gas Industry for 1998 (OGP, 2000).  The information presented in this report is for one year only and whilst data is collected world-wide the information is presented only in categories which allow US Gulf of Mexico and North Sea statistics to be extracted as location specific.

Complete data on reportable accidents to helicopters in UK offshore operations have been reported annually by the CAA since 1983 (e.g. CAA 1999). For the period 1988-94, this also included accidents in offshore operations in Norway and Denmark.  The most recent helicopter accident data from the UK CAA was published in July 1999 (CAA, 1999).

Impact damage could be caused by a helicopter crashing during take-off or landing, or by an accident while the helicopter is on the helideck such as a fire or being blown off by wind.  However, the only known cases of damage to an installation have been during take-off/ landing.

Air Transportation Risk Assessment

The objectives of Air Transportation Risk Assessment are to determine the risk during transportation by helicopter from:

  • Land to Platform
  • Infield movements – from Platform to Platform

Methodology

World-wide helicopter accidents have been reported in the World Aircraft Accident Summary (WAAS) since 1946. This was updated annually by the UK Civil Aviation Authority. It covers all known reportable accidents to turbine-powered helicopters. This includes virtually all offshore helicopter operations.

Reportable accidents are defined by WAAS according to ICAO (1974) as events occurring while people are on board in order to make a flight, involving:

  • Death or serious injury
  • Substantial damage defined as repair costs exceeding 10% of the aircraft’s value
  • Loss of the aircraft

It excludes hangar fires, damage contained within an engine, and deaths and injuries caused by slips and falls, food poisoning, turbulence, onboard machinery, etc.

The International Association of Oil and Gas Producers have prepared a report on the Safety Performance of Helicopter Operations in the Oil and Gas Industry for 1998 (OGP, 2000).  The information presented in this report is for one year only and whilst data is collected world-wide the information is presented only in categories which allow US Gulf of Mexico and North Sea statistics to be extracted as location specific.

Complete data on reportable accidents to helicopters in UK offshore operations have been reported annually by the CAA since 1983 (e.g. CAA 1999). For the period 1988-94, this also included accidents in offshore operations in Norway and Denmark.  The most recent helicopter accident data from the UK CAA was published in July 1999 (CAA, 1999).

Impact damage could be caused by a helicopter crashing during take-off or landing, or by an accident while the helicopter is on the helideck such as a fire or being blown off by wind.  However, the only known cases of damage to an installation have been during take-off/ landing.