Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Crash victim was last to be rescued
A WOMAN who died in a helicopter crash in Norway last week was the last person to be retrieved from the sea, investigators confirmed yesterday.
Reidun Hestetun, 61, was one of six people on board the Sikorsky S-92 search and rescue helicopter when it crashed near the island of Sotra during a training exercise on Wednesday February 28.
During a press conference yesterday, Norwegian authorities confirmed that the six people were picked up in two rounds by two different rescue helicopters.
Five men were initially pulled from the sea by the crew of the SAR Queen rescue helicopter when it arrived on the scene.
According to Norwegian media, fuel shortages forced the SAR Queen crew to make the decision to return to base before retrieving Ms Hestetun.
As a result, she remained in the sea for another 25 minutes before the next helicopter arrived at the accident site from Florø.
Norwegian authorities did not say what condition Ms Hestetun was in, but she was pronounced dead at Haukeland Hospital.
In a statement, Norway’s Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre (JRCC) operational rescue inspector Andreas Naesheim said the rescue crew determined it was necessary “to go to Haukeland (Hospital) as quickly as possible with the five people who had been taken on board the helicopter at that time”.
“Based on the knowledge we have now, it is reasonable to assume that these assessments have helped save lives,” Mr Naesheim said.
“In the transport on the way to Haukeland, the crew did their utmost to look after her.
“We are sorry that not all six survived, and our condolences go to those who have lost a loved one.”
Following an initial assessment of the search and rescue operation, the JRCC said its handling of the situation on Wednesday was effective.
Because the SAR Queen was on a training exercise when the alarm was raised, the JRCC said it arrived at the scene 20 minutes earlier than if it had departed from its home base.
Over the weekend, investigators successfully recovered the wreckage of the helicopter and located its flight recorder.
The Accident Investigation Board Norway (AIBN) said the recorder and audio recordings will be analysed in England with the assistance of two Sikorsky employees from the United States.
The investigators are also communicating with the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).