Helicopter came down as it returned to Ras Tanura airport.
Investigations are under way in Saudi Arabia after the fatal crash of a Leonardo Helicopters AW139 belonging to state-owned oil and gas producer Saudi Aramco.
All 14 aboard the intermediate-twin – 12 passengers and two crew – were killed when the rotorcraft came down at around 06:00 local on 28 June near Ras Tanura, according to the Saudi Press Agency, citing the country’s energy ministry.
Ras Tanura is in the far east of the country and is home to a large Saudi Aramco refinery.
Aircraft tracking data suggests the accident helicopter, a 2022-built example, was registered HL-AL65 and was owned and operated by Aloula Aviation, a subsidiary of Saudi Aramco. Aloula has a fleet of 24 AW139s, its website states.
It appears to have been on approach to Ras Tanura airport having returned from an offshore platform. In its final moments it was recorded as descending at 1,216ft/min.
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