Equinor employee who died in North Sea helicopter crash named as debris recovered

A woman who died following a helicopter crash in the Norwegian North Sea on Wednesday evening has been named.

Reidun Hestetun, 61, died and five others were injured after a Bristow Search and Rescue Sikorsky 92 (S92) helicopter crashed during a training exercise for the Norwegian oil company Equinor, 15 nautical miles off the coast of Bergen.

Following the incident, the UK’s oil and gas industry body said the sector has “confidence in the safety” of the Sikorsky 92 and that there is “no indication” that future helicopter flights will be unsafe following the crash.

Norwegian police confirmed parts of the S92 aircraft including its door, rotor, and emergency locator transmitter have been recovered following the crash.

The helicopters door, rotor and emergency locator transmitter have been recovered. (Kystvakten/NTB) Kystvakten/NTB

The full recovery effort of the S92 helicopter was hampered by bad weather on Thursday, and the remaining wreckage of the aircraft is due to be lifted from the water this weekend.

In a joint statement Offshore Energies UK, alongside the Offshore Helicopter Safety Leadership Group and Step Change in Safety said: “At this time, neither the manufacturer nor the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority have identified any technical concerns on this helicopter.

The full recovery of the S92 helicopter was hampered by bad weather on Thursday. (Redningsselskapet) Redningsselskapet

“The industry has confidence in the safety of this helicopter and its airworthiness.

“The S-92 helicopter has been in operation 20 years and is operated in 28 countries. There are currently 263 helicopters in service flying 2.2m flight hours that equates to 13,200 hours per month.”

Equinor had suspended helicopter flights on Thursday but resumed them that evening.

The company’s executive vice president for Exploration and Production in Norway, Kjetil Hove, said: “Flight safety and the safety of everyone travelling by helicopter is fundamental to our operations.

“Based on dialogue with the Civil Aviation Authority, there are no indications that helicopter safety on the Norwegian Continental Shelf is reduced.”

Norwegian Coastguard teams said they’d rescued six crew members on board the helicopter from the water on Wednesday evening.

It was confirmed that Reidun Hestetun was an employee of Equinor, while Norwegian Police say the five other crew members are employees of Bristow.

The casualties were taken to the Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen where a spokesperson said one crewperson remains in a serious but stable condition, two are slightly injured and two have since been discharged.

Equinor said the cause of the accident is not yet known and investigations are continuing.

Norwegian police are due to hold a press conference about the incident in Bergen on Friday.