A week has passed since the helicopter accident outside Sotra on Wednesday 28 February. Five men, all employed by the transport company Bristow, survived. Equinor-employed nurse Reidun Hestetun (61) died. – Fifth person not questioned – The fifth person has still not been questioned for medical reasons. He is the one who has been most severely injured, and will be questioned when he is able to do so, says the prosecutor in the case, police attorney Trygve Ritland, to news. DEATH: 61-year-old Reidun Hestetun died in the accident on Wednesday 28 February. Photo: Eirik M. Sundt / Sykepleien Ritland will not comment on what roles the four who have been questioned had, but says the following about what they explain: – They say it has gone quickly, and is characterized by the traumatic events that have happened. There are nuanced differences in their explanations, but I will not comment on that, says Ritland. – Have you interviewed any witnesses, or others besides the survivors? – No, no witnesses have been questioned so far. RESPONSIBLE FOR PROSECUTING: Police prosecutor Trygve Ritland is responsible for prosecuting the case. Photo: Jon Bolstad / news – International interest The British BBC and the American The Washington Post are among the international media that have reported on the crashed helicopter, which goes by the name NORSAR6 and is of the Sikorsky S-92 type. Prosecutor Ritland is aware that the accident and hence the investigation is of international interest. – This type of helicopter can be found all over the world, and is a means of transport of national and international interest and value. There are big financial interests here, says Ritland. – Thus, the investigation and what it shows is of both national and international interest. We saw that clearly during the Turøy accident, where the type of helicopter involved in that accident had consequences, adds Ritland, who was also responsible for the prosecution after the Turøy accident in 2016. HELICOPTER: Sikorsky S92 SAR helicopter, here at Flesland, two days before the accident Photo: Fredrik Lygre – With such a backdrop, do you have enough resources for the investigation? – This is a matter of high priority, both for us in the police, the National Accident Investigation Board and everyone. It is clear that the police must look at the use of resources in cases, but we have no problems with that in this case. We have the resources we need and ask for, notes Ritland. Lifting of helicopter wreckage, from the Accident Investigation Board. Can’t get access to logbook There are still limitations to the police’s investigation, Ritland himself points out. What the Accident Investigation Board defines as the very key to finding the cause of the accident, the police do not have access to. – The tachograph with audio logs is not something the Norwegian Accident Investigation Board shares in this or other accidents, says Ritland and explains: – We cooperate with the Norwegian Accident Investigation Board, but we have different tasks and legislation to deal with. The Accident Investigation Board also has the advantage that people are obliged to explain themselves to them. We do not have the same authority, says Ritland and explains this by the fact that the National Accident Investigation Board and the police have different purposes: – The National Accident Investigation Board must find out why the accident occurred, and how it can be prevented from happening again. The police’s task is to see if anyone is criminally responsible for the accident. THE WRECK: The helicopter wreck is now in a hall at Haakonsvern in Bergen. Photo: Oddgeir Øystese / news – Aren’t audio logs of interest to the police? – Yes, but the system is set up like this with strict rules for what has happened in the cockpit. In aviation accidents, you never know what was said in the last seconds by those on board, not even the police, says Ritland. Timeline: The helicopter crash west of Sotra This is what happened with the helicopter that crashed west of Sotra in Vestland. The newest updates are at the top of the timeline. Several of the times are taken from the Norwegian Central Rescue Service. The map shows when the helicopter flew before it crashed. The helicopter took off at Bergen airport, Flesland. Furthermore, the helicopter flew west and up the Hjeltfjord before it flew south and crashed west of Sotra. Below the map is the timeline with the latest news about the helicopter crash. The Accident Investigation Board has hired the ship Normand Ocean to both search for the helicopter and raise it during the weekend. – We hope to have this done during the weekend. But it depends on the weather, says Kåre Halvorsen, head of aviation at the Accident Investigation Board. Photo: Rosa Irén Villalobos / news Helicopter traffic on the Norwegian continental shelf has been suspended since Wednesday evening. Equinor writes in a press release that they have made clarifications with the authorities and professional circles for flight safety, so that a resumption of flights can take place in a safe way. A little before 12 noon on Friday, the first Sikorsky S-92 helicopter took off after the accident. Photo: Maja Mathisen / news The Swedish Accident Investigation Agency has hired an offshore ship to carry out the search and then raise the wreckage. The Accident Investigation Board writes on their website. Equinor confirms that they will resume helicopter flights on the Norwegian continental shelf on Friday. – We have lost a very respected and dear colleague who was incredibly dedicated in his work to ensure the safety of others, said Equinor CEO Anders Opedal yesterday. Photo: Eirik M. Sundt / Sykepleien There is a delay in flights until around 12 noon on Friday. This is stated in messages from Equinor and ConocoPhillips on the Heliport website. Through agreements with the helicopter manufacturers Bell and Leonardo, Equinor secures 15 new helicopters for passenger traffic on the Norwegian continental shelf. The helicopters are of the Bell 525 and AW189 types. Photo: Shutterstock editorial Police attorney Trygve Ritland in the West police district confirms to TV 2 that wreckage from the helicopter has been found. A rotor blade and a door from the helicopter. The Coast Guard no longer has a request for assistance from the police, and is therefore no longer in action in the search for wreckage from the helicopter that crashed outside Sotra on Wednesday evening. Photo: Coast Guard / NTB The Coast Guard ship that contributed to the search for wreckage parts is now on its way to Haakonsvern outside Bergen with parts they have found in the sea. It is chief of staff Gustav Landro in the West police district who tells this to TV 2. The coastguard is not entirely sure what kind of parts they have with them, but they take it ashore. Here the parts will be handed over to the police. According to VG, the police have questioned two of those who were on board the helicopter. – We have carried out two inquiries and are planning more tomorrow, says chief of staff Gustav Landro in the West police district to VG. Equinor is stopping all helicopter flights until Friday at 10 a.m. after the accident outside Bergen. Information director Sissel Rinde tells NTB. Energy Minister Terje Aasland (Ap) sends his thoughts to those affected after the helicopter accident outside Bergen. At the same time, he is asking for a thorough investigation of the accident. The police say they believe that the trip recorder, also called “the black box”, on the helicopter will be found, but that the job is challenging due to high waves and strong winds. The six people who was on board the helicopter was wearing a survival suit, say the police. The CEO of Equinor states that the deceased woman was a nurse at work to look after others. All helicopter flights to and from the heliport are canceled until 6 p.m. ConocoPhillips flights are canceled until further notice. There are also the flights for Aker BP. Vest police district states that it was a woman in her 60s, seen in Equinor, who died in the accident. The other five in the helicopter were employed in Bristow. The head of the Norwegian Aviation Accident Investigation Board says that they believe the wreck lies at a depth of 300 metres. Haukeland University Hospital informs X that one person is critically injured, one seriously injured and three lightly injured. The National Accident Investigation Board for Aviation starts work after the helicopter accident. The aim is to find the main part of the wreckage and then raise it from there. Photo: The rescue company The police say on Thursday morning that a search was carried out throughout the night for the helicopter that crashed. Photo: Coast Guard / NTB The police confirm that one person has died. Another is slightly injured, while the remaining four have varying degrees of damage. The police set up a reception for relatives. The lifeboat has started to find wreckage. They are looking for more parts. The rescue operation is over. Haukeland University Hospital has received six people. The condition is unclear. Photo: Kjell Jøran Hansen / news The Swedish Accident Investigation Agency is in the process of staffing up. The rescue helicopter Florø confirms the discovery of the last person. Five minutes later they confirm that they have a person on board and are traveling towards Haukeland. At the present time, it may look like 25 minutes have passed since the Sola helicopter left until the last person is on board the Sola rescue helicopter. The rescue helicopter, with the first five people who were picked up from the sea, lands at Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen. The police confirm that there has been an aviation accident in the sea west of Sotra in Vestland. The rescue helicopter Sola reports that they are on their way to Haukeland hospital with five people on board. The reason they have to go towards Haukeland is that they no longer have fuel to stay in the area. HRS knows that they already have rescue helicopter Florø on its way to the search area. There is also an air ambulance in the area that indicates the location of the last one. The rescue helicopter Sola reports that they cannot see the helicopter itself that has crashed. Øygarden municipality receives notification of the helicopter crash. They saw emergency staff. Persons are observed in the sea and hoisting starts. The persons must have a doctor in the sea for 45-50 minutes. The Sola rescue helicopter observes people in the sea and starts the process of hoisting them up. The police receive a report of a helicopter being flown west of Sotra. The main rescue center is informed that there are six people on board. The rescue helicopter Sola, which is already in the air for training, is sent in the direction of the area indicated by the emergency signal. HRS out alerts the rescue helicopter in Florø. They also ask Kystradio to send a mayday relay to vessels in the area. KV Sortland confirms that they set course for the area. It is agreed that a pilot helicopter from Flesland can go towards the area. The ambulance boat Austevolljenta is also asked to go towards the area. At 20.03 the rescue helicopter Sola reports that they are approximately 15 minutes from the position. HRS asks Kystradio to call out lifeboats from the Rescue Company. We are talking about Bjarne Kyrkjebø and Kristian Gerhard Jensen II. HRS can confirm that it is one of the rescue helicopters from Bristow, and that they have been out on a training trip. The main rescue center asks the air traffic controller in Avinor to check if they can make contact with the helicopter. Three minutes later they receive feedback that they cannot make contact over the radio. The helicopter hits the water and an emergency direction finder is activated. The main rescue center receives a message that an emergency beacon has been triggered and the rescue leaders on duty start to check more closely what kind of machine it is that is sending the signal and try to make contact. HRS is informed that a personal emergency beacon, of the type worn by helicopter crew in a rescue helicopter, has been triggered. The position of this is in the same area as the emergency bearing transmitter of the helicopter. Avinor, ACC and the tower on Flesland are contacted The helicopter probably loses radar contact, according to Aircraftregister.net. The helicopter is completing an exercise with a ship from Wilson Shipping on behalf of Equinor. The helicopter flies west. The helicopter takes off from Bergen airport, Flesland. Show more Thus, the police’s investigation is also dependent on both ongoing and final reports from the Accident Investigation Board, says Ritland and emphasizes: – It is also important to point out that people can make mistakes, without having done anything punishable. news has not succeeded in getting a comment from the Accident Investigation Board. – Good starting point Despite the limitations, prosecutor Ritland believes that the investigation has a good basis. – The helicopter has been raised and is probably intact. It can tell us something about the event. We also have explanations for those who were on board and survived the accident. It gives us a good starting point for investigation. – Do you have any preliminary theories? – It’s clear, but I don’t want to say which ones now, says Ritland.
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– The investigation into the helicopter crash is of international interest – news Vestland
