Ditched helicopter had been grounded twice for repair work

THE helicopter that ditched this week was shut down twice in the days before the accident, the Evening Express can reveal today.

But CHC Scotia chiefs insisted the problems were not related to the issue that forced the aircraft down on Monday, when the chopper ditched and 19 people had to be rescued from the North Atlantic, 14 miles west of Fair Isle, south of Shetland.

The Evening Express can today reveal the same Super Puma needed maintenance work on two separate occasions in the days before the ditching.