2009 Super Puma deaths were preventable, coroner says
The 2009 Super Puma crash which killed 16 people on board could have been prevented, a coroner has found.
Worcestershire Coroner Geraint Williams has ruled a “catastrophic” gearbox failure was one of the main causes of the helicopter crash off Peterhead more than five years ago.
His findings are in line with the outcome from a fatal accident inquiry held earlier this year in March which concluded a “significant gearbox fault” was missed.
A number of maintenance failures “meant that opportunities to detect and rectify incipient problems were lost and which, had they been detected and acted upon, may have prevented the crash occurring,” Coroner Williams said.
Relatives of the men killed in the crash have called for a criminal prosecution but a case has never been brought.
The inquest held at Worcestershire Coroner’s Court, on the death of the Super Puma co-pilot Richard Menzies, was adjourned while the main investigation took place.
Aviation Minister Robert Goodwill apologised to families of the victims for the delay in completing the investigations, but rejected the idea of a full public inquiry.