The father of a Super Puma helicopter crash victim was devastated by the Crown Office’s decision not to prosecute anyone over the “avoidable” North Sea tragedy.
John Edwards told the opening day of the STUC conference in Dundee of his distrust of the Crown Office for not holding anyone to account for the catastrophic loss of 16 lives in 2009.
His son James was on board the Mark Two Super Puma when it plunged into the sea from 2,200ft because its gearbox disintegrated. He told the Caird Hall delegates that the loss of his son and 15 other offshore workers, including Nairn Ferrier from Dundee, was made worse by the fact that the deaths could have been prevented.
“The Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) told us what had happened was avoidable but they urged me to remain dignified and patient while their inquiries were ongoing,” he explained.
“We waited two years for the AAIB report and then we were asked the same by the Crown Office so they could determine if any prosecution would occur.”
The Crown Office’s decision not to prosecute anyone left him “devastated”, and he rejected their offer to have a lawyer represent him at a fatal accident inquiry.
Instead the Unite union arranged legal representation for the families through the efforts of the recently deceased general secretary Bob Crow.
The AAIB called for urgent safety checks on all similar Super Pumas operating in the North Sea but stopped short of ordering the workhorses of Britain’s oil and gas industry to be grounded until given the all-clear.
The FAI said the gearbox failure could have been avoided if procedures and communications between operators Bond and the manufacturer had been followed.
The Crown Office ruled out a prosecution on ground of insufficient evidence. Speakers at a fringe meeting said tougher regulation of offshore industry helicopters is not just about health and safety but is about saving people’s lives.
They pleaded for meaningful action and condemned politicians and industry representatives for speaking about the price of oil but not about the cost.
Unite is pressing for a safer offshore industry and an overhaul of FAIs with a Back Home Safe campaign.