An inquiry into the 2009 North Sea helicopter crash, in which 16 men lost their lives, found that had three failures by aircraft operator Bond Offshore Helicopters not happened, the incident "might" have been avoided.
The Fatal Accident Inquiry was held over six weeks by Sheriff Principal Derek Pyle, who issued is final report today (13 March).
He said: "The essential fact is that everyone in the company (Bond) well knew that maintenance must be done by the book. On one occasion, that fundamental rule was broken. It resulted in the failure to detect a significant fault in the helicopter's gearbox, which possibly - but only possibly - resulted in the crash."
The crash happened at 1.55pm on 1 April 2009. The Mark 2 Super Puma AS332 L2 helicopter, registered number G-REDL, owned and operated by Bond Offshore Helicopters travelling between the Miller platform, 145 nautical miles north east of Aberdeen, and the Bond offshore helicopter base at Aberdeen Airport The helicopter crashed just 11 nautical miles north east of land, at Peterhead due to a "catastrophic failure of the main rotor gearbox".
According to Sheriff Pyle, all 16 men died as a result of the crash impact.
They were: John Brian Hugh Barkley, Raymond Steele Doyle, James John Edwards, Vernon John Elrick, Nairn James Ferrier, Warren George Mitchell, Stuart Lee Wood, Mihails Zuravskis, Paul Stephen Burnham, James Antal Reamonn Stephen Costello, Alexander Gordon Dallas, Nolan Carl Goble, Gareth Wyn Hughes, Richard Anthony Menzies, David John Rae and Leslie Stanley Taylor.
The failure of the main rotor gearbox was as a result of a fatigue fracture of a second stage planet gear in the epicyclic module, Pyle noted.
The fatigue fracture of the second stage planet gear in the epicyclic module was caused by spalling.
Listing the failures, Pyle said:
"The crash of G-REDL was a tragedy," Pyle commented. "Coupled with the other helicopter accidents in Scotland over the recent past, it has raised fundamental questions about the safety of helicopters, not least in the oil and gas industry of the North Sea. It cost the lives of 16 men."
Family members of those who were killed said today they are still looking for answers. Solicitor Chris Gordon, of Thompsons Solicitors in Scotland, representing the families, and the RMT union, have called for a criminal investigation into the crash
Robert Paterson, Oil & Gas UK health, safety and employment issues director, said: “Today’s Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) conclusion into the 2009 helicopter crash provides us with a powerful reminder of the paramount importance of following procedures, and the need for effective communication.
"Since the publication of the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report in 2011, Bond and Eurocopter have worked constructively to put measures in place to improve communication, monitoring and maintenance.The entire oil and gas community has been touched by this tragedy, and our thoughts remain with the families, relatives and colleagues of those directly affected.
Read more: Review recommends new safety measures for offshore helicopter transport - http://www.oedigital.com/component/k2/item/5075-helicopter-reviews-makes-recommendations
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