Agusta Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 100.9; Flight Crew Total 3429.7; Flight Crew Type 910.8
Ground Event / Encounter Other / Unknown; Inflight Event / Encounter Fuel Issue
Flight Crew Diverted; Flight Crew Landed As Precaution
Airport; Company Policy; Human Factors
Early morning departure; enroute to oil platform with passengers on board. We had enough fuel to complete the flight with required reserves; taking into consideration the forecast headwind. We noted alternate fuel stops for the forecasted wind conditions; and during the flight we determined that we had enough fuel to complete the flight without requiring an additional stop. During cruise we also ran a manual fuel burn calculation to further verify that an additional stop was not necessary. We called the platform 20 minutes out requesting fuel and we were assured fuel is available and to call 5 minutes out for a green deck as standard procedure. At that point we knew we had two alternate fuel stops within range; but determined to continue to our destination since at that time we were not advised of any expected delay or deck blockages. About 4 minutes after our 20 minute call to the platform we were advised by the Helicopter Landing Officer (HLO) that an approaching aircraft from another company required refueling. We notified the HLO of our fuel status and that we did not have time to loiter. This message was acknowledged by both the HLO and landing aircraft. We anticipated a slight delay due to the other aircraft on deck; who also had minimum fuel; so we slowed our airspeed to decrease our fuel burn. About 10 minutes from reaching the platform the HLO notified us that the fuel system was not working due to an electrical problem with no known timeframe for the repair. We confirmed with the other helicopter that he was now on our destination and did not have enough fuel to move and allow us to land. As soon as we heard this information we started scanning for alternate landing structures that would safely support our aircraft. Prior to reaching our reserve fuel we saw a vessel to the west and immediately deviated towards it. We noticed that the vessel did have a large enough heli-deck and proper weight rating so we contacted them on Marine 16 and requested a green deck while orbiting. After four orbits the Captain of the vessel confirmed we had a green deck; so we proceeded inbound and safely. The passengers were then boated from the vessel to the platform while we waited for fuel to be delivered. Fuel was delivered to the vessel and [12 hours later] a mechanic was hoisted onto the heli-deck. The fuel was sumped multiple times and the transfer vessels were assured clean before fuel was transferred to the helicopter. We then sumped the aircraft the next morning after the fuel had settled to ensure we had a clean sample and then departed the vessel.Concerns: Destination being frequently used by a non-contract aircraft as a fuel stop and us not being notified. Destination allowing an alternate aircraft to land within +/- 30 minutes of scheduled crew change flight; even though our ETA was told to the customer. Fuel system at destination having known electrical glitches and not being passed along to inbound aircraft.
Helicopter pilot arriving at an oil platform with minimum fuel is informed that the pad is occupied by another helicopter needing fuel and the fuel system is inoperative. A vessel is located with a large landing pad and the reporter diverts.