Fatal helicopter crash caused by ‘ perfect storm’ of circumstances

NO PRECAUTIONS could have prevented a North Sea helicopter crash which claimed four lives after a “perfect storm” of circumstances combined, an inquiry has found.

A Fatal Accident Inquiry ( FAI) found that all the safety barriers in place did not manage to prevent or remedy the pilot’s “one failure” to maintain the correct speed as it approached Sumburgh Airport in Shetland.

Two crew members and 12 passengers on the Super Puma L2 survived when it ditched on its approach to the airport at 6.17pm on August 23, 2013.

But Sarah Darnley, 45, from Elgin, Moray; Gary McCrossan, 59, from Inverness; Duncan Munro, 46, from Bishop Auckland, County Durham, and George Allison, 57, from Winchester, Hampshire, died.

Survivor Samuel Bull took his own life in London in 2017, which Sheriff Principal Pyle said was “directly caused” by the crash.

An AAIB report published in 2016 found that the pilots failed to properly monitor the flight instruments and failed to notice their speed was decreasing until it was too late to avoid the helicopter plunging into the sea.

In his determination following the FAI, Sheriff Principal Derek Pyle said the crash happened because the commander failed to maintain the target approach speed of 80 knots.

He wrote: “If he had done so, the helicopter would not have reached the critically low energy state from which recovery was impossible.

“That is where ultimate responsibility rests, but as several witnesses explained there are other safety barriers in place each of which of its own would prevent such a failure either occurring or, if it does occur, quickly and effectively remedying it.”

He said there was “plainly no wilful neglect” on the part of Captain Martin Miglans, describing him as a “pilot of huge experience with a first class record”.