Account of the BV234 Crash Sumburgh 1986

Post Reply
Message
Author
User avatar
FD2
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 5110
Joined: Thu Sep 03, 2015 10:11 pm
Location: New Zealand
Gender:
Age: 76

Account of the BV234 Crash Sumburgh 1986

#1 Post by FD2 » Fri Jun 19, 2020 11:18 am

Not sure this is right for 'nostalgia' but a gripping account from Pushp Vaid of the BV234 (civil Chinook) crash off Sumburgh in 1986 which killed 45 people. It's not exactly an accurate headline though because the US Army Chinook crash at Mannheim in 1982 killed 46 people - parachutists and crew.

Pushp was decorated for his service in the Indian Air Force before he moved to the UK and joined us in British Airways Helicopters in Aberdeen. Neville Nixon was a chum at Dartmouth who failed his flying tests, left the Navy and joined the Army Air Corps. He later flew with Bristow before joining British Airways Helicopters. He had swapped a duty to end up on this flight.

https://airfactsjournal.com/2020/04/i-s ... n-history/

Boac
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 17202
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 5:12 pm
Location: Here

Re: Account of the BV234 Crash Sumburgh 1986

#2 Post by Boac » Fri Jun 19, 2020 12:36 pm

Peripherally involved in that accident. Asked to position to Edinburgh to collect 5 breathless journos to fly to Sumburgh. Spent ages in the terminal there waiting to run the film back to Aberdeen. The BBC Scotland chief ('Ferguson??) had it all well under his belt when in swept the famous Kate Adie on the budgie from Aberdeen declaring "OK. this is my story..." I eventually got away with the film to Edinburgh for broadcast. BBC Scotland less than happy..... :))

User avatar
CharlieOneSix
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 5004
Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 12:58 pm
Location: NE Scotland
Gender:
Age: 79

Re: Account of the BV234 Crash Sumburgh 1986

#3 Post by CharlieOneSix » Fri Jun 19, 2020 2:57 pm

We were a Shell customer and I was at a liaison meeting in the Shell HQ in Aberdeen when the news came through about the Chinook crash - it was a Shell flight. Obviously the meeting immediately terminated but I have never seen so many shocked faces - nobody had any words, we just filed out quietly.

A few days later I was visiting one of our pilots in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and Pushp was in the same ward. I had a few words with him but understandably he was pretty subdued.
Boac wrote:
Fri Jun 19, 2020 12:36 pm
The BBC Scotland chief ('Ferguson??)
It was Jim Ferguson who was the local freelance aviation reporter. Jim died about 7 years ago. I got on well with him but many thought he was a bit of a pain. He used to saunter into the Bristow crewroom unannounced and pick up bits and pieces of info to which he shouldn't really have had access. He was eventually banned from just wandering in without an appointment.
Boac wrote:
Fri Jun 19, 2020 12:36 pm
.... in swept the famous Kate Adie on the budgie from Aberdeen.....
About 30 years ago a previous Mrs C16 and I were staying at a country house hotel near the old Newton airfield outside Nottingham. Coincidentally they were filming "Boon" there with Michael Elphick. At dinner one evening I noticed Kate Adie at an adjacent table with 3 others so as we passed her table as we left I paid her the compliment of saying how much I enjoyed her TV reports. She gave me a stare like an ice queen and said nothing. She went down to zero in my estimation after that.
The helicopter pilots' mantra: If it hasn't gone wrong then it's just about to...
https://www.glenbervie-weather.org

User avatar
FD2
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 5110
Joined: Thu Sep 03, 2015 10:11 pm
Location: New Zealand
Gender:
Age: 76

Re: Account of the BV234 Crash Sumburgh 1986

#4 Post by FD2 » Fri Jun 19, 2020 7:32 pm

I only came across Adie once at a big Trafalgar Night dinner and it was impressive how she homed in on anyone senior. I guess she put herself at about 2 - 3 stars.
Big dog in the BBC from London out ranked the local loons I guess Boac - I bet they were pissed off. X(

In Hermes about 1976 we had Desmond Wettern onboard for a big exercise we were taking part in. One night he just appeared in the cabin flat area and started chatting. Very charming man and was a big supporter of the services. Nothing more than general unrestricted gossip was discussed and eventually the conversation petered out. He was very overweight so I was not surprised he only lived until he was 57 in 1991. I suppose you have to be bold as a journalist and he may have felt he'd get a little more feeling of what was really happening in the exercise from us junior Joes than from the MOD, to add a little colour to his despatches to the Telegraph.

User avatar
TheGreenGoblin
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 17596
Joined: Thu Aug 08, 2019 11:02 pm
Location: With the Water People near Trappist-1

Re: Account of the BV234 Crash Sumburgh 1986

#5 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Sat Jun 20, 2020 9:40 am

FD2 wrote:
Fri Jun 19, 2020 11:18 am

Pushp was decorated for his service in the Indian Air Force before he moved to the UK and joined us in British Airways Helicopters in Aberdeen. Neville Nixon was a chum at Dartmouth who failed his flying tests, left the Navy and joined the Army Air Corps. He later flew with Bristow before joining British Airways Helicopters. He had swapped a duty to end up on this flight.

Pushp Vaid's service in the Indian Air Force is covered in Richard Pike's "Helicopter Boys". He certainly seemed to have a torrid time of it.

There was a retrospective interview on that accident to be found here...

Pushp Vaid Interview...
Though you remain
Convinced
"To be alive
You must have somewhere
To go
Your destination remains
Elusive."

Post Reply