A survivor of the North Sea helicopter disaster said yesterday that an image of his family flashed before his eyes as he battled to escape from the crashed aircraft.
Martin Tosh, 34, was on board the Super Puma L2 when it suddenly plummeted into the icy water just two miles off the coast of Shetland.
The father-of two, from Kintore, was convinced he had taken his last breath and was going to die when the helicopter filled with water in just 10 seconds.
Terrified, he was trapped for about a minute underwater in the cabin, which had flipped in the swell.
It was only a mental image of his two children – Elisha, 7, and Alix, 3 – and wife Gillian that gave him the energy to haul himself free of the aircraft.
“I was on my last breaths and there was a flash of my family coming through to me,” he said.
“That got me out of the helicopter. They came floating before my eyes. I could see them.”
Mr Tosh spoke as the first Super Pumas took to the air yesterday after they were cleared for takeoff by a safety steering group and the Civil Aviation Authority.
Meanwhile, the wreckage of the ill-fated helicopter, which crashed on Friday last week killing four of the 18 people on board, was brought back to Aberdeen.
It was only Mr Tosh’s second trip offshore when the helicopter he was travelling home on with 15 other offshore workers and two crew crashed on its way to Sumburgh Airport from the Total-operated Borgsten Dolphin platform.
Recalling the final moments the helicopter was airborne, he said: “There was just a total loss of power and we ditched into the sea. It banked to the left and was in the sea.
“The helicopter filled up extremely quickly. In less than 10 seconds, the helicopter was full of water.
“I was one of the last survivors out of the helicopter. I was petrified. We didn’t get any ‘brace, brace, brace’. We didn’t have time to put a mayday call out. It happened very quickly. There were no warnings at all.
“It just happened instantly. One minute you were in the sky and the next there’s water, fighting for our lives to get out of the helicopter.
“Obviously it’s upside down. When it hit the water, I think it must have gone over straight away.
“I was in the helicopter for about a minute under water. When I got out, it was upside down. All the flotation bags were out in the helicopter.”
Mr Tosh, who is still suffering from back and shoulder pain, thanked the emergency services for their bravery in the rescue operation. He said: “When you see it on the TV you don’t realise how much of a dangerous job they’ve got.
“And us survivors would like to say a special thank-you to all involved in the incident who rescued us. They were so professional – and so calm as well.
“I was rested in the helicopter and taken to hospital. The Red Cross was there. They were professional as well.
“The hospital staff, you couldn’t fault them in any way.”
Gary McCrossan, 59, from Inverness, Sarah Darnley, 45, from Elgin, Duncan Munro, 46, from Bishop Auckland and George Allison, 57, from Winchester all perished in the crash.
Mr Tosh said he had been particularly close to Mr McCrossan and paid tribute to the bubbly character.
He said: “I worked with Gary. He always had a story. This was my second trip offshore. It’s 21 days at a time. You kind of bond with who you’re working with.”
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