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| Pilots union Balpa challenges Sumburgh crash black box ruling | Pilots union Balpa challenges Sumburgh crash black box ruling |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A ruling that investigators should hand over the black box from a North Sea helicopter crash to Scotland's top law officer is being challenged. | A ruling that investigators should hand over the black box from a North Sea helicopter crash to Scotland's top law officer is being challenged. |
| The cockpit voice recorder from the accident off Shetland in 2013, in which four people died, was recovered by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch. | The cockpit voice recorder from the accident off Shetland in 2013, in which four people died, was recovered by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch. |
| A judge ruled it was in the public interest and the interests of justice to make it available. | A judge ruled it was in the public interest and the interests of justice to make it available. |
| The British Airline Pilots' Association (Balpa) said it had lodged an appeal. | The British Airline Pilots' Association (Balpa) said it had lodged an appeal. |
| The union's general secretary, Jim McAuslan, said: "The 2013 Super Puma accident was tragic, and it is vital the AAIB gets to the root cause and has access to whatever data it needs. | |
| "However, providing the data to the prosecutor and the police in parallel to the AAIB's investigation cuts across everything pilots and the broader flight safety community stand for. | "However, providing the data to the prosecutor and the police in parallel to the AAIB's investigation cuts across everything pilots and the broader flight safety community stand for. |
| "We cannot stand by while the court allows that to happen without pursuing other legal avenues to highlight our concerns and question whether it is the correct approach." | "We cannot stand by while the court allows that to happen without pursuing other legal avenues to highlight our concerns and question whether it is the correct approach." |
| 'Duty to investigate' | |
| A Crown Office spokesman said: "Following a helicopter crash off Sumburgh on 23 August 2013 in which four people died, Crown Office began an investigation into the cause of the deaths. | |
| "The Crown has a duty to investigate all sudden, suspicious and unexplained deaths. | |
| "The investigation is ongoing and the families of those who died will continue to be updated in relation to any significant developments." | |
| Prosecutors have been trying to establish whether anybody could be held criminally responsible for the crash. | Prosecutors have been trying to establish whether anybody could be held criminally responsible for the crash. |
| The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has the right to initial access to the cockpit voice recorder but it routinely chooses not to hand over the material to other bodies - in this case the Crown prosecutors. | The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has the right to initial access to the cockpit voice recorder but it routinely chooses not to hand over the material to other bodies - in this case the Crown prosecutors. |
| Rare move | |
| The BBC Scotland news website revealed last year an order was being sought by Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland QC at the Court of Session to access the data. | The BBC Scotland news website revealed last year an order was being sought by Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland QC at the Court of Session to access the data. |
| It was a rare legal move. | It was a rare legal move. |
| Lord Jones said he was satisfied that disclosing the data would have no adverse impact on current or future crash investigations - but that it could only be disclosed to the Crown Office and Police Scotland. | Lord Jones said he was satisfied that disclosing the data would have no adverse impact on current or future crash investigations - but that it could only be disclosed to the Crown Office and Police Scotland. |
| A total of 18 people were on board when the Super Puma crashed on its approach to Sumburgh. | A total of 18 people were on board when the Super Puma crashed on its approach to Sumburgh. |
| Helicopter passengers Sarah Darnley from Elgin, Gary McCrossan, from Inverness, Duncan Munro, from Bishop Auckland, and George Allison, from Winchester, lost their lives. | Helicopter passengers Sarah Darnley from Elgin, Gary McCrossan, from Inverness, Duncan Munro, from Bishop Auckland, and George Allison, from Winchester, lost their lives. |