A NORTH Sea oilman had the top of his skull sliced off by helicopter
rotor blades when a diving support vessel was struck by a huge wave, a
fatal accident inquiry was told yesterday.
Helicopter landing officer Mr Ellard Zuidema, 29, was crossing in
front of the Sikorsky S76 on the ship's helideck when the aircraft
lurched backwards and struck him.
The inquiry was told that, after the accident, Mr Zuidema's terrified
assistant clung to the side of the helicopter, then crawled under the
aircraft to get off the helideck.
Minutes before the tragedy, Mr Zuidema and other helideck crew members
had screamed at another oilman who was walking too close to the rotor
blades.
One witness, technician Ian Hopley, said the vessel, Mayo, was rolling
and pitching like a corkscrew on the day of the accident, April 18 last
year.
Mr Hopley, 27, of Ninian Place, Portlethen, Kincardineshire, was a
passenger in the helicopter which, he said, slipped back suddenly.
He said he heard three bangs which he thought were the wheels skipping
over the helideck ropes.
The inquiry was told the weather on the day of the accident was rough
with 30mph winds and 20ft waves.
The vessel was lying off Unocal's Heather Alpha platform on the day of
the accident. Witnesses said diving had been suspended because of the
weather and the ship had steamed three miles from the rig.
Electrician James Durie, 29, of Inverkeithing, was a passenger on the
Bond-owned helicopter which had left the tanker Ailsa Craig bound for
the Mayo. He said he was worried about the amount of roll when the
helicopter landed on the Mayo.
Mr Durie added: ''Quite a large wave hit the boat and it rocked to the
port side, and, when the boat went to an angle, the chopper moved with
it. It jumped the ropes and that is when the blades went down.
''There was a thud and I turned round and, just out of the corner of
my eye, I saw the HLO's headset splitting. That was what the noise was.
''He had his back to us and, when the blades hit him, he spun round
and just fell.''
The inquiry was told Mr Zuidema had had to walk round the front of the
helicopter because he had just escorted a passenger to the port door of
the helicopter, the door farthest from the bridge.
The Mayo's chief officer, Mr Evertjan Zegelaar, said it was normal
practice for passengers to get on or off Bond Sikorsky S76 helicopters
by the port door.
Mr Zegelaar said he thought the helideck pitch and roll figures were
close to those which would have made helicopter operations unsafe --
four degrees roll and four degrees pitch.
He denied a suggestion by depute fiscal Sandy Hutchison that, because
they were close to the limits, the possibility of such a wave might have
been foreseen.
The inquiry, before Sheriff David Kelbie at Aberdeen Sheriff Court,
continues.
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