HeliOffshore has published its fifth annual Industry Safety Performance Report, which analyses data for 2022.
The report reveals Western OEM helicopters transporting passengers for the offshore energy industry suffered 22 accidents in the five-year period from 2018-2022, of which 10 included fatalities and resulted in 29 deaths. Interestingly, half of the accidents came in 2022, with 11 accidents, of which six were fatal, resulting in 14 lives lost.
According to the report, in the last 10 years, the most common causes of fatal accidents remain loss of control in flight (LOC); controlled flight into terrain or water (CFIT); and non-power plant system or component failure or malfunction. These factors accounted for three-quarters of the fatal accident occurrences.
The 2022 data also identified new contributing factors linked to helideck infrastructure and pilot physical health.
The annual industry safety report is compiled using data gathered from operators, OEMs and industry bodies and combined with information from agencies and regulators to give an overall safety picture for the offshore aviation sector as part of HeliOffshore’s Safety Intelligence Programme.
Dr Matthew Greaves, author of the report and Director of HeliOffshore’s Safety Intelligence Programme, commented: “This report gives a consolidated picture of safety performance in the global offshore energy aviation industry. While we should recognise the positive trend in safety performance in recent years, the findings in this report show a negative trend in safety performance for 2022 that must be understood and addressed.”
“Our annual safety report provides an opportunity for reflection and subsequent action across the industry. Through publishing safety data, we aim to spearhead safety conversations and galvanise collective industry action to ensure no more lives are lost in offshore aviation. We encourage organisations across the sector to ask, where does your safety performance sit in these statistics, where should it be and what’s your contribution to industry-wide improvement?” added Tim Rolfe, CEO at HeliOffshore.
To access the report, click HERE
