Crew powerless to stop air crash

Philip Dearden and his captain Philip Wake died in the crash

Helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky has been asked why an error which led to the death of 11 people off the Norfolk coast went unnoticed.

The crew of the Sikorsky S-76A, which ditched into the North Sea in July 2002, could have done nothing to stop the tragedy, a report reveals.

Investigators traced the problem to a manufacturing fault on the rotor blade, which dated back to 1981.

However the report said Sikorsky should have noticed the error.

No visible damage

On Monday, an Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report said the manufacturing fault was weakened when the blade was struck by lightning in 1991.

The problem had "no effect on the structural integrity of the blade until it was exploited by a lightning strike", the AAIB said.

Repairs were made, routine inspections carried out and there was no visible damage, the AAIB continued.

However the report said Sikorsky should have noticed the manufacturing error, particularly after an identical problem was discovered months later.

In addition, helicopter operator Bristow had failed to provide an adequate automatic warning system to avert the accident, the report added.

Search for cracks

Everyone on board, including two crew and Shell workers being ferried between North Sea gas platforms, died.

The helicopter's captain Philip Wake, 42, and co-pilot Philip Dearden, 32, both from Norwich, could have done nothing to avert the crash, the report found.

"There were no in-flight symptoms of impending blade failure that the pilots could have recognised," the report said.

The families of the deceased have received compensation, but legal action between Bristow and Sikorsky is on going.

The report made six safety recommendations which include changes to the design of new rotor blades and frequent checks on new cracks in the leading edge erosion covers of main rotor blades to see if they have grown.