3 rescued as chopper makes emergency landing in sea
abu dhabi — The General Authority of Civil Aviation has launched a probe after a helicopter operated by the Abu Dhabi Aviation Company made a forced landing in the sea off Mubaras Island in Abu Dhabi on April 29.
According to sources, two crew members and a passenger in the helicopter were rescued by the Coast Guard without injuries.
The helicopter was transporting some oil field workers and took off from the Abu Dhabi International Airport at 12.05pm with two crew members and five passengers. The chopper completed the first part of the flight at 12.31pm at an oil field where four workers were dropped.
When they took off again for the second part of the flight, a warning message of damage appeared on the cockpit screens. The pilot decided to land at the nearest landing, which was about seven minutes away. During the gradual descent, the chopper was unable to continue its flight due to an engine failure, and the pilot decided to force-land in the sea and launched a Mayday call.
Our priority now is to support the investigation into the underlying causes of this unfortunate incident.” Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director-General of the General Authority for Civil Aviation
The crew and the passenger were able to get out of the helicopter with the lifeboat, and then the plane dived on one side. The crew and passengers were rescued by the UAE Coast Guard and were given first aid.
The helicopter and the flight information logger were retrieved from the water and transported to Abu Dhabi where the data will be analysed by specialists from the investigation team to determine the cause of the accident.
Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director-General of the General Authority for Civil Aviation, said: “Air incidents require an immediate investigation. Our priority now is to support the investigation into the underlying causes of this unfortunate incident which, thank God, has not resulted in injuries to passengers or crew.
“We are working closely with the Italian manufacturer of the helicopter and the authorities concerned to determine the cause of the crash and ensure that it is not repeated in the future,” said Ismail Mohammed Al Hosani, assistant director-general of air accident investigation division.
The General Authority for Civil Aviation, represented by the air accident investigation division, will lead the investigation of the incident in accordance with Annex XIII to the Convention on International Civil Aviation.
Al Hosani said that the Air Accident Investigation Authority of Italy and the European Aviation Safety Agency (ESA) were notified about the incident in accordance with international standards.
amira@khaleejtimes.com