2002 GULF OF MEXICO OFFSHORE

SAFETY STATISTICS

1999 Stats

2000 Stats
2001 Stats

1998 E & P FORUM WORLD-WIDE OIL INDUSTRY HELICOPTER OPERATIONS AND SAFETY REVIEW
1999 E & P FORUM WORLD-WIDE OIL INDUSTRY HELICOPTER OPERATIONS AND SAFETY REVIEW
2000 E & P FORUM WORLD-WIDE OIL INDUSTRY HELICOPTER OPERATIONS AND SAFETY REVIEW
2001 E & P FORUM WORLD-WIDE OIL INDUSTRY HELICOPTER OPERATIONS AND SAFETY REVIEW

2002

HELICOPTER SAFETY ADVISORY CONFERENCE (HSAC) GULF OF MEXICO OFFSHORE HELICOPTER OPERATIONS AND SAFETY REVIEW

HSAC Members:

May 13, 2002

Please find attached the Helicopter Safety Advisory Conference (HSAC) "2002 Gulf of Mexico Offshore Helicopter Operations and Safety Review". The membership support and response from 24 helicopter operators for this review is not only appreciated, but vital in establishing a meaningful report. Continued support is encouraged for the future.

The 2002 Gulf of Mexico oil industry helicopter accident rate per 100,000 flight hours was 1.49 with a total of 6 accidents (all single engine) compared to an 19-year annual average accident rate of 1.72 with a total of 8.8 accidents. The U.S. accident rate per 100,000 hours for all commercial non-scheduled FAR Part 135 operations was 3.68. and the fatal rate was 0.82, while the HSAC helicopter rates were 1.49 and 0.25 respectively. There was 1 fatal accident with 1 fatality when pilot attempted to depart on offshore platform while still tied to the helideck.

In the last 5 years, there have been 36 accidents of which 7 were fatal (19%), including 8 fatalities and 29 injuries. 16 (44%) of these accidents were due to pilot procedure related causes and 10 (27%) were due to technical fault. The specific leading causes of accidents in the last 5 years have been:

7 engine related (19%) - one of this resulted in a fatality.
6 (16%) loss of control or improper procedure.
3 (8%) each for fuel quality control, loss of tail rotor control, and obstacle strike on a helideck.
2 flight into terrain/water accidents, both at night.

During 2002, improper pilot procedures accounted for 3 (50%) of the 6 accidents. 1 of these was due to failure to remove tie-downs before attempted departure, 1 was loose cargo hitting the tail rotor, and the last was a hard landing in high winds.

Type Aircraft	% Night Flight	% IFR Flight
Single Eng.
Light Twin
Med. Twin
Heavy Twin
Fleet Average

We are optimistic that by sharing this information with all operators and other oil industry group's, safety initiatives may be developed to reduce accidents and incidents.

Bob Williams
Industry Liaison Committee Member

GULF OF MEXICO OFFSHORE HELICOPTER OPERATIONAL DATA SUMMARY

YEAR	TYPE HELICOPTER					PASSENGERS CARRIED	HOURS FLOWN	NUMBER OF FLIGHTS
YEAR	SINGLE ENGINE	LIGHT TWIN	MEDIUM TWIN	HEAVY TWIN	TOTAL FLEET	PASSENGERS CARRIED	HOURS FLOWN	NUMBER OF FLIGHTS
1998	392	89	94	13	588	2,725,682	454,280	1,390,773
1999	413	81	93	14	601	2,664,848	392,712	1,459,781
2000	385	76	106	15	581	3,451,511	441,908	1,394,679
2001	407	87	121	17	632	3,127,449	451,712	1,473,057
2002*	*411*	77	*121*	16	*625*	*3,088,865*	*402,632*	*1,564,362*

* Data extracted from voluntary input of 24 helicopter operators Gulf of Mexico

GULF OF MEXICO OFFSHORE HELICOPTER OPERATIONAL DATA DETAILS

	HOURS by TYPE HELICOPTER					OPERATIONS (Takeoff/Landings) by TYPE HELICOPTER
YEAR	SINGLE ENGINE	LIGHT TWIN	MEDIUM TWIN	HEAVY TWIN	TOTAL FLEET	SINGLE ENGINE	LIGHT TWIN	MEDIUM TWIN	HEAVY TWIN)	TOTAL FLEET
1998	303,434	54,509	88,470	7,867	454,280	1,025,105	183,133	167,255	15,280	1,390,773
1999	280,150	38,218	66,071	8,273	392,712	1,161,888	124,480	158,175	15,238	1,459,781
2000	316,029	38,126	79,736	8,016	441,908	1,051,160	134,035	192,289	17,197	1,394,679
2001	309,429	35,318	96,548	10,417	451,712	1,123,393	125,832	204,285	19,547	1,473,057
*2002*	*284,226*	*26,610*	*83,556*	*8,240*	*402,632*	*1,251,945*	*99,117*	*195,883*	*17,417*	*1,564,362*

GULF OF MEXICO HELICOPTER FLEET OPERATIONAL DATA

Averages Per Helicopter	*2000*	2001	*2002*	Averages Per Helicopter	*2000*	2001	*2002*
Passengers per Day per 5 Day Week	13,275	12,029	*11,880*	Annual Hours Per Aircraft	760	715	*644*
Flights Per Day	3,821	4,036	*4,286*	Flights Per Aircraft	2,399	2,333	*2,503*
Average Flight Duration in Min.	19	18	15	Passengers Flown Per Year	5,936	4,952	*4,942*

As a service to the Helicopter Safety Advisory Conference (HSAC) membership, this Gulf of Mexico Offshore Helicopter Statistical Report is compiled annually from information submitted voluntarily by the membership and helicopter operators. The information is neither verified nor reviewed for accuracy and should be treated as unofficial. The data is believed to be representative; however, the HSAC assumes no liability for accuracy or completeness.

Dedicated to Safety Through Cooperation Since 1978