Charles Alcock is managing editor of the AIN Media Group, having rejoined the company in 2019. He has been an aviation journalist since 1986, and previously worked for AIN from 1990 to 2017, most recently as editor-in-chief. His main focus is on covering new aviation technology and business models, as well as international news.
Having been raised in the London area, Alcock studied at the University of Manchester in the UK and earned an honors degree in Politics and Modern History. He speaks English and French, and some German.

Managing Editor

Charles Alcock

Saudi Arabia’s Aviation Investigation Bureau is probing a fatal helicopter accident on Sunday in which 14 people were killed on a flight from the Ras Tanura oil terminal. The crash was reported soon after 6 a.m. local time, two days after energy group Saudi Aramco had resumed operations at the facility, which is on the country’s Gulf coast.
According to the government-backed Saudi Press Agency, the accident involved an unspecified helicopter operated by Saudi Aramco. Officials from the Saudi Ministry of Energy confirmed that 12 passengers and two pilots on board—all Saudi nationals—were killed.&nbsp;
Data from flight tracking platform FlightRadar24 appears to identify the helicopter as being one of 24 Leonardo AW139s operated by Aramco subsidiary Aloula Aviation. An aircraft registered as HZ-AL65 made a 16-minute flight from Ras Tanura that took off at 5:47 a.m. and apparently ended after changing course to suddenly return to base. Dammam-based Aloula did not respond to a request for further information from AIN.
Aloula Aviation operates a mix of AW139 and Airbus H145 helicopters, as well as several airplane types, including Boeing 737-800 narrowbodies, Hawker Beechcraft 900XPs, and King Air 350s. The company has been a member of offshore flight safety group HeliOffshore since July 2023.

News about significant aircraft accidents and information from accident reports.

Saudi Offshore Helicopter Accident Kills 14 Passengers and Crew

Flight took off from an oil terminal that had resumed operations two days earlier

Few details have been confirmed so far about a fatal accident involving a helicopter operated for the Saudi Aramco energy group; 14 lives were lost.

Saudi Helicopter Accident Kills 14 Passengers and Crew

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