Lawyer for victims of north east offshore helicopter crashes responds to Civil Aviation Authority report

Digby Brown Solicitors partner Lisa Gregory(pictured) represents survivors of Super Puma crashes off Aberdeen in 2012 and off Sumburgh in the Shetland Islands in 2013.

All 14 passengers and crew survived the 2012 incident.

Four people were killed and 12 passengers and two crew were rescued in the 2013 incident.

The CAA report examines progress in improving offshore helicopter safety in the ten months since a review was commissioned following five major safety incidents, including the Super Puma crashes off Aberdeen and Sumburgh, between 2009 and 2013.

Responding to the report, Ms Gregory said: “Everyone working offshore must have the confidence that everything that can be done to ensure their safety is being done. The Super Puma incidents in 2012 and 2013, along with others in the UK, highlighted extremely critical helicopter safety issues.

“The effects on those caught up in these crashes are profound and long-term ones.

“The report details welcome progress in a number of areas, such as helicopter design and a more consistent approach to safety.

“These will be welcomed by the victims of the two Super Puma crashes in the north east I am representing but there are still a number of important questions to be answered about those specific incidents to which we will continue to seek answers.

“The offshore industry must own its safety responsibilities to everyone who works in it. The tragic incidents that occurred must result in better regulation, improved safety and the prevention of future helicopter crashes.”