A fatal accident inquiry has found that the North Sea helicopter crash, which claimed the lives of 14 oil workers and two crew, might have been prevented.
The crash involved a Eurocopter AS332L2 Super Puma Mk 2 belonging to Bond Offshore Helicopters.
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Relatives of oil workers and pilots who died when the Bond-operated Super Puma suffered a catastrophic gearbox failure have called for a criminal inquiry, but the Crown Office defended its decision not to prosecute.
It is believed that during clear, calm and sunny conditions, the aircraft plunged into the North Sea approximately 11 miles off Peterhead.
According to sources, the rotor blades broke away from the aircraft when it was on the way back to Aberdeen from BP’s Miller platform on 1 April.
Following a six-week fatal accident inquiry in Aberdeen, it was revealed that the crash was ‘not survivable’.
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By GlobalDataSheriff Principal Derek Pyle said that the operator should have taken precautions including following agreed procedures and communications, which might have avoided the deaths.
The operators, who were supposed to replace part of the gearbox just a week before the incident, failed to do so due to lack of communication with the aircraft manufacturer Eurocopter.
Most of those killed were returning from BP’s Miller platform and are said to have worked for KCA Deutag Drilling, an international drilling and engineering company.
Image: Eurocopter AS332L2 Super Puma Mk 2. Photo: courtesy of Gary Watt.
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