The Mearns victim of a Norwegian helicopter crash which claimed 13 lives will be laid to rest later this week.
Iain Stuart of Laurencekirk was in the CHC Super Puma which crashed while carrying two crew and 11 passengers from the North Sea Gullfaks B oil field, around 74 miles off the Norwegian coast, en route to Flesland on April 29.
Father-of-two Mr Stuart, known as Tufty, was described as a loving husband and devoted father in the wake of the tragedy.
In further online tributes, friends said the popular 41-year-old was a “top bloke” and in the days following the crash the flag at Brechin Golf Club, where he was a member, flew at half-mast.
Mr Stuart, who is survived by his wife, Amy and children, Sara and Thomas, will be laid to rest on Friday following a funeral service in Laurencekirk Parish Church at 1.30pm.
Donations from the service will be going to Crohn’s and Colitis and the Oil and Gas Bereavement Fund.
Investigations into the crash, which led to the UK’s commercial Super Puma fleet being grounded, are continuing, with some parts of the aircraft still to be recovered.
Air accident investigators believe a technical fault caused the crash, which happened when the helicopter’s rotor blades detached in mid-air.
The European Aviation Safety Agency has ordered checks on all EC225 Super Pumas before they are allowed to fly.
All the wreckage recovered so far has been taken to the Accident Investigation Board Norway’s (AIBN) base at Lillestøm.
An AIBN spokesman said: “The AIBN will continue its efforts to sort and analyse both components and other information.
“The main focus for the search is for parts connected to the main gearbox. The search will continue as long as required.”
