Twenty-nine years ago today, on 6th November, 1986, there was a terrible tragedy in Scotland's Shetland Islands, when a helicopter carrying workers from an area oilfield plunged into the sea just short of the airstrip.
The Boeing 234LR Chinook helicopter was based at Sumburgh airport in the Shetlands, and was operating a shuttle service for workers at the Brent Oilfield. After dropping off a new batch of workers, the helicopter left Brent Platform C at 10.22am. There were 44 passengers on board, all workers returning to Sumburgh. There was also a crew of three.
After being cleared to land at Sumburgh, the helicopter approached the airstrip. At a height of 150', a transmission failure (controlling synchronisation between the two blades) caused the blades to collide, and the aircraft nose-dived. Breaking up on impact, the helicopter sank.
Two survivors were picked up by rescue crews, but 45 of the 47 on board perished. One body was never recovered.
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