2008 GULF OF MEXICO OFFSHORE

SAFETY STATISTICS

1999 Stats

2000 Stats
2001 Stats
2002 Stats
2003 Stats
2004 Stats
2005 Stats
2006 Stats
2007 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

2008HELICOPTER SAFETY ADVISORY CONFERENCE (HSAC) GULF OF MEXICO
OFFSHORE HELICOPTER OPERATIONS AND SAFETY REVIEW

HSAC Members:

February 12,, 2009

Please find attached the Helicopter Safety Advisory Conference (HSAC) "2008 Gulf of Mexico Offshore Helicopter Operations and Safety Review". The membership support and response from 13 helicopter operators for this review is not only appreciated, but vital in establishing a meaningful report. Continued support is encouraged for the future.

The Gulf of Mexico (GoM) has experienced a consolidation of operators in recent years, having gone from 22 operators several years ago to 13 now. The 2 accidents recorded in 2008 are the fewest recorded in the GoM since HSAC began gathering statistics in 1984, and indicate a steady decrease in events since the high level of accidents in 2003/2004. This positive trend may be due in part to the emphasized safety focus of HSAC members and the publication / implementation of a number of HSAC Recommended Practices addressing casual factors.

The 2008 GoM oil industry helicopter accident rate per 100,000 flight hours was 0.49 with a total of 2 accidents (one each single engine and light twin) compared to a 25-year annual average accident rate of 1.79. The fatal accident rate per 100,000 flight hours during 2008 was 0.24 with one fatal accident (5 fatalities) compared to a 25-year average of 0.62.

In the last 5 years, there have been 33 accidents of which 10 were fatal (30%), resulting in 30 fatalities and 36 injuries. The leading causes, not all inclusive, of accidents in the last 10 years have been:

18 engine related
14 loss of control or improper procedures
12 helideck obstacle strikes
10 controlled flight into terrain
8 each tail rotor failure

HSAC has published a number of Recommended Practices to address these issues and they can be reviewed at www.HSAC.org. We are optimistic that by sharing this information with all operators and other oil industry group's, safety initiatives may be developed and implemented to further reduce accidents and incidents.

Bob Williams

Industry Liaison Committee Member

GULF OF MEXICO OFFSHORE HELICOPTER OPERATIONAL DATA SUMMARY

YEAR	NUMBERS by 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
2003	410	66	118	13	607	2,574,810	381,273	1,345,075
2004	387	60	100	14	561	2,329,064	361,514	1,270,863
2005	424	48	99	18	589	2,625,322	389,544	1,310,736
2006	376	59	124	25	584	2,762,317	406,564	1,246,172
2007	387	61	123	35	606	2,953,484	410,797	1,294,141
2008*	365	49	107	30	551	2,936,772	410,321	1,245,770

* Data extracted from voluntary input of 13 helicopter operators in the 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
2003	275,580	22,161	76,948	6,584	381,273	1,102,644	67,399	163,869	11,163	1,345,075
2004	263,258	20,436	69,479	8,341	361,514	1,048,858	65,704	144,545	11,756	1,270,863
2005	275,225	21,386	80,787	12,146	389,544	1,062,942	65,076	162,476	20,242	1,310,736
2006	283,304	25,118	79,207	18,935	406,564	984,612	78,074	153,822	32,059	1,246,172
2007	280,683	27,617	81,895	20,602	410,797	1,019,611	90,109	153,402	31,019	1,294,141
2008	282,958	25,939	79,291	22,133	410,321	976,611	82,233	152,235	34,691	1,245,770

GULF OF MEXICO HELICOPTER FLEET OPERATIONAL DATA

Averages Per Helicopter	2006	*2007*	2008	Averages Per Helicopter	2006	*2007*	2008
Passengers per Day per 5 Day Week	10,624	11,360	*11,295*	Annual Hours Per Aircraft	696	678	*745*
Flights Per Day	3,414	3,546	*3,413*	Flights Per Aircraft	2,134	2,136	*2,261*
Average Flight Duration in Min.	20	19	20	Passengers Flown Per Year	4,730	4,874	*5,330*

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.