Photo: Tor Høvik / Bergens Tidende
Anny Britt Telle lost her husband in the helicopter accident at Turøy in Hordaland in 2016. Wednesday’s accident brings back bad memories.
Thursday 29 February at 15:58
One of those who lost his life in the Turøy accident was Lyder Martin Telle.
For more than 15 years, the engineer traveled back and forth from Statfjord and Gullfaks, but in 2016 he lost his life when the helicopter crashed not far from his home.
Telle was 57 years old. He left behind a wife, children and grandchildren. Yesterday’s helicopter accident outside Sotra is a reminder for the family.
– I didn’t sleep last night. I had such a flashback it was absolutely terrible. The accident happened not far from where we live, says widow Anny Britt Telle to VG.
Not only did the helicopter crash happen near her home, it also happened near the site of the 2016 crash.
Wednesday’s accident happened outside Øygarden, west of Bergen. A total of six people were involved in the accident. A woman in her 60s lost her life.
– It is very hard. I have three children and have been on the phone with them since last night, tonight and this morning, she says.
This photo is before the helicopter accident in 2016. On the left you can see a smiling Lyder Martin Telle. Photo: Private
She remembers when her husband himself used to work on platforms. She always had a little anxiety and wanted to know from the man that they had landed safely.
– My husband used to say that it was more dangerous to drive a car than a helicopter, she says.
But on 29 April 2016, the helicopter ride would prove to be more dangerous than driving a car.
The helicopter which was on its way from Gullfaks B to Flesland had a surface wound on the inside of the gear which was allowed to develop. This was the cause of the accident, according to the National Accident Investigation Board.
The cause of Wednesday’s accident is still not known.
– I never in my wildest imagination thought this would happen again, she says.
13 people died when an Airbus AS332 Super Puma helicopter crashed. Photo: Krister Sørbø / VG
– I didn’t think I would react
Although it has been many years since the Turøy accident, the widow is still affected.
She has taken time to get used to the helicopter sounds above the house, but yesterday’s incident means that the sounds have become scary again.
– It’s almost eight years since the accident, I thought maybe I shouldn’t react so hard. This is absolutely terrible, she says.
She thinks a lot about the next of kin after the accident and hopes they have people around them now.
– It is important that they have good people around them and that those closest to them can be together. I think of them that way. I fear they are in pain now, she says.
She herself is well looked after by her family, but also by the municipality.
– They have contacted me and asked me how things are going, she says.
Here the Coast Guard is looking for wreckage on Thursday morning. Photo: Coast Guard
This is Wednesday’s helicopter crash:
Wednesday’s helicopter accident happened during search and rescue training.
All six were retrieved from the water. But a woman in her 60s lost her life in the accident.
Among the others, the state of health is described as follows: One person critically injured, one seriously injured, and three slightly injured.
The National Accident Investigation Board will start work on Thursday to find the helicopter that crashed outside Bergen. They tell NRK that they believe the wreckage of helicopters lies at a depth of 300 metres.