Helicopter rotor sliced off the top of oilman's skull, inquiry is told

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.