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| Fatal North Sea helicopter crash could have been prevented, inquiry concludes | Fatal North Sea helicopter crash could have been prevented, inquiry concludes |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| An accident inquiry into the fatal crash of a Super Puma helicopter in the North Sea which killed all 16 people on board has said it could have been prevented. | |
| Sheriff Principal Derek Pyle said he believed several failures by the helicopter's operators, Bond Offshore Helicopters, to properly deal with metal particles found in the engine during routine checks could have caused the crash. | |
| The 14 passengers and two crew were almost certainly killed outright, he said, after the helicopter plunged into the North Sea off Peterhead on 1 April 2009 after a catastrophic gearbox failure, while the weather was clear and sunny and the sea was calm. | |
| Relatives of the 16 men have called for a criminal inquiry after Pyle's report was published on Thursday. | |
| Bond acknowledged its staff played a key role in the accident. "We have always accepted that we made mistakes through honest confusion over telephone calls and emails," the firm said. | Bond acknowledged its staff played a key role in the accident. "We have always accepted that we made mistakes through honest confusion over telephone calls and emails," the firm said. |
| "Lessons needed to be learned, lessons have been learned and lessons continue to be learned. We would like to express again our deep sorrow at the 16 lives lost." | "Lessons needed to be learned, lessons have been learned and lessons continue to be learned. We would like to express again our deep sorrow at the 16 lives lost." |
| Eight of the passengers were killed by multiple injuries. "The indications were that the death was as a result of sudden deceleration and blunt force impact and there was nothing to suggest survival with subsequent drowning," the sheriff said. | Eight of the passengers were killed by multiple injuries. "The indications were that the death was as a result of sudden deceleration and blunt force impact and there was nothing to suggest survival with subsequent drowning," the sheriff said. |
| The other six passengers and two crew also died from multiple traumas. "The pattern of injury was entirely consistent with the circumstances and death would have been instantaneous," Pyle ruled. | The other six passengers and two crew also died from multiple traumas. "The pattern of injury was entirely consistent with the circumstances and death would have been instantaneous," Pyle ruled. |
| In his detailed decision following a long inquiry, Pyle said it was possible the accident was caused because Bond personnel had failed to carry out a series of tasks. | In his detailed decision following a long inquiry, Pyle said it was possible the accident was caused because Bond personnel had failed to carry out a series of tasks. |
| They did not remove a piece of machinery known as the epicyclic module after a metal particle was found, which suggested metal particles were shearing off in the engine. They failed to follow the correct communication procedures with the aircraft's manufacturer, Eurocopter, and failed to identify the type of metal in the particle. | They did not remove a piece of machinery known as the epicyclic module after a metal particle was found, which suggested metal particles were shearing off in the engine. They failed to follow the correct communication procedures with the aircraft's manufacturer, Eurocopter, and failed to identify the type of metal in the particle. |
| He concluded: "The cause of the accident which resulted in said deaths was the catastrophic failure of the main rotor gearbox of the said helicopter on the said date, which was as a result of a fatigue fracture of a second stage planet gear in the epicyclic module and which caused the helicopter to descend into the sea." | He concluded: "The cause of the accident which resulted in said deaths was the catastrophic failure of the main rotor gearbox of the said helicopter on the said date, which was as a result of a fatigue fracture of a second stage planet gear in the epicyclic module and which caused the helicopter to descend into the sea." |
| The two Bond crew members who died were Capt Paul Burnham, 31, from Aberdeenshire, and co-pilot Richard Menzies, 24, of Droitwich Spa. | The two Bond crew members who died were Capt Paul Burnham, 31, from Aberdeenshire, and co-pilot Richard Menzies, 24, of Droitwich Spa. |
| The 14 civilians killed were Brian Barkley, 30, of Aberdeen, Vernon Elrick, 41, of Aberdeen, Leslie Taylor, 41, of Kintore, Aberdeenshire, Nairn Ferrier, 40, of Dundee, Gareth Hughes, 53, of Angus, David Rae, 63, of Dumfries, Raymond Doyle, 57, of Cumbernauld, James John Edwards, 33, of Liverpool, Nolan Goble, 34, of Norwich, and Mihails Zuravskis, 39, of Latvia, all employees of the contractor KCA Deutag. | The 14 civilians killed were Brian Barkley, 30, of Aberdeen, Vernon Elrick, 41, of Aberdeen, Leslie Taylor, 41, of Kintore, Aberdeenshire, Nairn Ferrier, 40, of Dundee, Gareth Hughes, 53, of Angus, David Rae, 63, of Dumfries, Raymond Doyle, 57, of Cumbernauld, James John Edwards, 33, of Liverpool, Nolan Goble, 34, of Norwich, and Mihails Zuravskis, 39, of Latvia, all employees of the contractor KCA Deutag. |
| The other victims were James Costello, 24, of Aberdeen, who was working for Production Services Network, Alex Dallas, 62, of Aberdeen, who worked for Sparrows Offshore Services, Warren Mitchell, 38, of Oldmeldrum, Aberdeenshire, who worked for Weatherford UK, and Stuart Wood, 27, of Aberdeen, who worked for Expro North Sea Ltd. |