A landmark legal hearing will be held this week in a bid to quicken the criminal investigation into a North Sea helicopter crash which killed four offshore workers.
Prosecutors will go to the Court of Session in Edinburgh on Tuesday to argue that accident investigators must hand over the black box recorder from the Super Puma L2 which came down off the coast of Shetland, in August 2013.
It is hoped that the move will shorten the wait faced by survivors and families of those who died for answers over the tragedy.
The hearing has been scheduled for three days.
Sarah Darnley, 45, from Elgin, Gary McCrossan, 59, from Inverness, George Allison, 57, from Winchester and Duncan Munro, 46, from Bishop Auckland were killed in the crash and 14 others rescued.
Lisa Gregory, head of Digby Brown solicitors in Aberdeen, said the crash and its aftermath had been “extremely traumatic” for survivors and the loved ones of those killed.
She said: “The fact that the lord advocate is taking this unusual measure shows the significance of the investigation. It is important for the survivors and their families who have undergone incredibly traumatic experiences and are seeking answers about what happened to them.
“Its outcome could also help improve offshore helicopter safety.”
While the AAIB has not objected to the black box being released for examination, a strict set of rules govern such an investigation in order to preserve the integrity of the probe.
The lord advocate will argue that the laws should be relaxed in this case to quicken the investigation.
The material could help determine if anyone should be prosecuted over the deaths at work.
A spokesman for the Crown Office said: “Following a helicopter crash off Sumburgh on August 23, 2013, in which four people died, Crown Office began an investigation into the cause of the deaths.
“The investigation is ongoing and the families of those who died will continue to be updated in relation to any significant developments.”
The AAIB investigation of the crash continues.
An interim report found that a reduction in airspeed which caused the fatal crash was not noticed by the pilots.
So far no evidence of a technical fault has been found.
Families ‘decline to comment’ until judgement is returned
Sarah Darnley, 45, from Elgin, Gary McCrossan, 59, from Inverness, George Allison, 57, from Winchester and Duncan Munro, 46, from Bishop Auckland were killed when the Super Puma crashed into the North Sea in August 2013; 14 others had to be rescued.
Yesterday, Ms Darnley and Mr McCrossan’s families travelled from the north of Scotland to attend the hearing in Edinburgh.
They declined to comment on the proceedings until a judgment had been returned.
The Super Puma AS332 L2 went down close to shore on a flight to Shetland’s Sumburgh Airport from the Borgsten Dolphin rig. The crash was the fifth incident involving Super Pumas in the North Sea since 2009.
Just weeks after the accident, the Civil Aviation Authority ruled that the fatal crash had not been caused by airworthiness or technical problems. An initial report by the AAIB said the helicopter went into a rapid descent after it lost power three miles off Sumburgh, but flew on for a mile before crashing a short distance from Shetland’s rocky coastline in heavy mist.
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