Helicopter Blade Broke in Storm Otto, Almost Hitting North Sea Worker

Broken helicopter blade ‘narrowly missed’ worker on oil rig, report finds

A helicopter blade “narrowly missed” an oil rig worker after it broke while they were trying to secure the aircraft to a helipad during high winds, an investigation has found.

Helicopter blade 'narrowly missed' Scots oil rig worker after it broke in high winds

"It narrowly missed the single deck crew member positioned at the rear of the helicopter, who was trying to attach the final strap to the helicopter."

Helicopter blade broke in Storm Otto, almost hitting North Sea worker

The incident on a North Sea platform happened during Storm Otto in 2023.

United Kingdom – 23/05/2025 – energiesdelamer.eu. A helicopter rotor blade broke during storm Otto in February 2023 where about 30,000 households had been deprived of electricity and dozens of schools in Scotland and the north of England. This first storm of the year had brought general winds of more than 60 mph. A pale helicopter nearly hit a worker who was trying to fix the aircraft at the heliport of an offshore North Sea platform. The suite …

Rotor brake failure left parked H175’s blades exposed to wind ...

An Airbus Helicopters H175 parked on an oil platform had four main rotor blades snapped off in strong winds after a malfunctioning rotor brake left the crew unable to tie down the still-rotating blades, UK investigators have disclosed.

Helicopter blade which broke off in storm 'almost struck worker'

A worker was nearly struck at the rear of the helicopter while attemping to strap it down during Storm Otto in 2023.