Safety Topics

Chinook Accident ON the return flight to Sumburgh from Brent Field a Boeing Vertol 234 LR (Chinook) was only some four miles from the airport when the crew remarked on a noticeable increase in the noise level on the flight deck. One of them described it as a roaring noise. This was followed by a ‘bang’ and the aircraft pitched nose up to a near vertical attitude, went out of control and crashed into the water. Two survivors out of the total of three crew and 44 passengers were rescued and an intensive air and sea search involving Service and civilian aircraft and vessels failed to find any more survivors. Search and recovery operations continued ad some four days after the crash, about 75% of the fuselage and 95% of the transmission had been recovered.