Sheriff criticises delay in bringing Clutha FAI

Sheriff Principal Craig Turnbull has made his determination into the incident which saw 10 people die when a helicopter, then carrying out duties on behalf of Police Scotland, crashed into the Clutha Vaults public house on 29 November 2013.

The central issue in the inquiry was why the pilot, Captain Traill, allowed the contents of the supply tank of the helicopter to deplete to the point it did when there was more than sufficient usable fuel available to him in the main tank to allow the helicopter to return safely to its base.

The inquiry concluded that the accident was caused by Captain Traill’s failure to ensure that at least one of the fuel transfer pump switches was set to ‘on’.

Sheriff Principal Turnbull said: “The fact that it took more than two years from the publication of the AAIB Report to the decision that there were to be no criminal proceedings is surprising, notwithstanding the extensive work carried out by Police Scotland and the Crown in the intervening period.

“Ultimately, on any view, it took far too long to lodge a notice of an inquiry in this case, although it must be stressed that the inquiry itself was conducted with great efficiency for which all those responsible for its preparation and conduct are to be commended.”

No recommendations were made in the determination, In light of the safety recommendations made by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).

The sheriff principal concluded that the circumstances of the accident are so unusual that it is improbable they will be repeated, even without the introduction of the safety actions taken since the accident.

Until the accident, the EC135 had accumulated more than three million flying hours, over a period of 20 years, without any instance of fuel starvation having been reported.