The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Dramatic new evidence of copter crash released
REPORT: Mearns dad was among 13 victims of disaster off Norwegian coast
Norwegian Air Accident investigators have said they cannot give a firm date for the final report into a Super Puma helicopter crash which claimed 13 lives a year ago, including that of a Mearns dad.
On the first anniversary of the tragedy when the aircraft fell from the sky onto a small island near Bergen, dramatic new evidence has been released as part of a preliminary report, including a family being showered with debris from the stricken copter during its fateful plunge.
One witness described the catastrophe as being “like someone riding an old bicycle where the fenders and everything are rattling, just much louder”.
The CHC-operated Airbus Helicopters EC 225 LP with two crew and 11 oilworkers on board was on a journey from the Gullfaks field around 74 miles off the Norwegian coast, en route to Flesland when it suffered main rotor gearbox failure.
The victims included Laurencekirk man Iain ‘Tufty’ Stuart, a popular 41-year-old father-of-two, who was described as a “true gentleman” and a “top bloke” in the wake of the tragedy.
Similarities have already been drawn between the disaster and a 2009 Bond Super Puma Mk 2 North Sea crash in which 16 people died, and in the newly-issued preliminary report, Accident Investigation Board Norway (AIBN) has said it will “continue the investigation into how and why two similar catastrophic accidents could happen to near identical helicopters only seven years apart”.
The document also features witness testimony for the first time, including that of a couple walking with their four-year-old child on the nearby island of Turøy when they heard the “loud bang” of the rotor breaking off and were hit by debris as the helicopter glided overhead, trailing black smoke before crashing a short distance away.
Another man who filmed the rotor spinning away from the Super Puma spoke of seeing an “explosion in the sky” before it “fell to the ground and burst into flames”.
The tragedy was also witnessed by a group of divers just 500 metres from where the helicopter struck the ground, sparking a blaze which consumed almost an acre of heather.
They said a white cloud appeared, before igniting into an “explosive fire”.
Several people stated that they had seen yellowish red flames in the area on the top of the helicopter, where the engines are located, after the main rotor had separated.
The AIBN said: “The preliminary report is extensive, but contains mainly factual information. The AIBN issues no safety recommendations at this stage of the investigation.
“Due to the scope and complexity of the investigation it is not feasible to estimate a completion date for the final report.