The Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) said it is considering whether to ground the Sikorsky S-92A following the fatal crash of a Bristow-operated aircraft into the sea off Bergen yesterday.
The aircraft was a search-and-rescue (SAR) configured aircraft and was on a training flight west of Lønøy for Equinor when it hit the water at about 7:40 pm local time. All six on board were rescued from the sea and transported to the nearby Haukeland hospital, but one of those was later confirmed to have died.
In an update this morning on X, the hospital said one person remained in a critical condition, another was seriously injured, and the remaining three had minor injuries.
“Based on the available information that we receive, the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority will continuously decide whether the Sikorsky S-92A helicopter type should be grounded,” the NCAA said in a statement.
“The case has the highest priority with us and we have a dialogue with the manufacturer and the Accident Investigation Board. In addition to the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority, the helicopter manufacturer and the American and European aviation authorities (FAA and EASA) also have the opportunity to suspend the operation of the helicopter type.”
Equinor said the cause of the accident is not yet known, but that it has halted all of its regular flights on the Norwegian continental shelf “out of consideration for those affected and to get an overview of the situation.”
“Equinor is cooperating closely with the helicopter operator Bristow Norway and relevant authorities in the handling and follow-up of the incident,” the company said in a statement.
Oil company Aker BP said it has also decided to stop “all helicopter traffic with the Sikorsky S-92 until further notice.”
Sikorsky said it was aware of the incident and it extended its condolences to those affected. “Safety is our top priority, and we stand ready to support our customer and the investigative authorities,” the company said.
The Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority said it has sent investigators to Bergen and to Bristow’s Stavanger base to start initial investigations. It said it had begun the process of acquiring a vessel to salvage the aircraft wreckage.
