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Ruling: Fatal Super Puma helicopter crash in which four died was a 'dreadful accident'


By Philip Murray

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Gary McCrossan.
Gary McCrossan.

A fatal helicopter crash off Shetland which killed an Inverness man and three others – and later drove one of the survivors to suicide – was a “dreadful accident”, an inquiry has ruled.

Gary McCrossan (59) died in a life raft shortly after a Super Puma helicopter ferrying oil and gas workers ditched in the sea and rolled over just 1.7 miles from Sumburgh Airport on August 23, 2013.

His cause of death was a heart attack triggered by the physical and emotional stress of the crash.

Fellow passengers George Thomas Allison, from Winchester, Sarah Helen Darnley, from Aberdeen, and Bishop Auckland resident Duncan Munro, all drowned in the crash – which occurred in bad weather and in poor visibility.

A fifth passenger, Samuel Bull, who tried to resuscitate Mr McCrossan and “took an active part in the sea to take care of the other survivors” took his own life four years later after suffering from post-traumatic stress.

All others aboard the helicopter survived.

The inquiry heard that pilot error was the cause of the crash, “due to the flight crew not effectively monitoring the helicopter’s flight instruments, thereby allowing the helicopter to enter a critically low energy state resulting in the loss of control of the aircraft” as it was approaching the airport on autopilot.

But evidence from an Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report into the crash concluded “that the accident could have occurred with other pilots flying”.

Sheriff Principal Derek Pyle, making his findings following the fatal accident inquiry, said: “One expert before the inquiry described the circumstances as ‘a perfect storm’ and ‘millions to one against’.”

He added: “While it is the case that the cause of the accident was pilot error, it is not known why.

“One possible reason is in the developing knowledge of the inability of the human brain to continuously monitor flight instruments in all forms of aircraft, particularly in automation modes.

“The aviation industry and regulatory authorities are looking closely at this developing science.”

The findings added that the autopilot mode, which was selected, meant that the pilot manually controlled the airspeed, but that this “was an acceptable mode to select” under operational guides in use at the time, and that “due to the accident” the operator, CHC Scotia, later altered its manuals “to prescribe [a] mode which means that the autopilot controls the airspeed”.

The inquiry heard that pilot Martin Miglans and co-pilot Alan Bell had more than 13,000 hours of flying experience between them and that Mr Bell’s “quick thinking in releasing the [helicopter’s] emergency flotation system probably saved lives”. He was also praised for his actions to release the life rafts.

It also heard that despite suffering from a serious back injury, Captain Miglans “insisted that he be the last survivor winched from the sea”.

Sheriff Pyle said: “This was a dreadful accident with long-term repercussions for the survivors and the families of the deceased, which no determination by this court can properly describe.

“I do hope that it has at least assisted in an understanding of what occurred, the reasons for it and what has been done to ensure so far as practicable that such an accident does not occur again. My condolences go, in particular, to the families of the deceased, including – lest it be forgotten – the family of Mr Bull.”

Addressing the seven-year wait between the crash and inquiry ruling, Sheriff Pyle accepted that “the Crown and Police Scotland faced a number of obstacles in their investigations for which they cannot be held responsible” and that the requirement to wait until after the AAIB investigation concluded – coupled with other matters – had caused the lengthy gap.

But he added: “In my opinion, it raises fundamental issues about how air accidents should be investigated and the barriers which the Crown and Police Scotland face in carrying out their own investigation and over which they have no control.”


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