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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Helicopter tragedy victims named | Helicopter tragedy victims named |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Six men killed in a helicopter crash over the Morecambe Bay gas field off the Lancashire coast have been named. | Six men killed in a helicopter crash over the Morecambe Bay gas field off the Lancashire coast have been named. |
| Rig workers Robert Warburton from Heysham, Leslie Ahmed from South Shields, John Shaw from Kirkcaldy and Alfred Neasham from Durham were killed. | Rig workers Robert Warburton from Heysham, Leslie Ahmed from South Shields, John Shaw from Kirkcaldy and Alfred Neasham from Durham were killed. |
| Pilots Stephen Potton from Blackpool and Simon Foddering from Preston also died, and contractor Keith Smith from Stockton-on-Tees is still missing. | Pilots Stephen Potton from Blackpool and Simon Foddering from Preston also died, and contractor Keith Smith from Stockton-on-Tees is still missing. |
| A data recorder from the 20-year-old helicopter has not yet been recovered. | |
| Traumatised witness | Traumatised witness |
| The helicopter, which took off from Blackpool Airport, was on a routine flight between rigs for gas firm Centrica when it crashed into the sea 25 miles off the coast on Wednesday evening. | The helicopter, which took off from Blackpool Airport, was on a routine flight between rigs for gas firm Centrica when it crashed into the sea 25 miles off the coast on Wednesday evening. |
| Lancashire Police say the helicopter, a Eurocopter AS365N, had flown to two gas rigs and was on its way to a third when it "veered to the left" and ditched into the sea. | |
| It crashed 500 yards away from the third rig. No emergency call was received. | It crashed 500 yards away from the third rig. No emergency call was received. |
| The helicopter was flying from the Millom West platform - owned by Burlington Resources Ltd but operated by Centrica - to the North Morecambe platform on its way to the South Morecambe platform, which is permanently occupied. | |
| Three people on the third platform witnessed the incident, and one of them who was due to board the helicopter was described by police as "traumatised". | Three people on the third platform witnessed the incident, and one of them who was due to board the helicopter was described by police as "traumatised". |
| Police said the weather was normal for the time of year and that the witnesses said they saw nothing unusual with the helicopter. | Police said the weather was normal for the time of year and that the witnesses said they saw nothing unusual with the helicopter. |
| A search operation is ongoing but police say the likelihood of Mr Smith surviving is "slim". | A search operation is ongoing but police say the likelihood of Mr Smith surviving is "slim". |
| Family grief | |
| Frank Cygal, a gas rig worker turning up for work at Blackpool Airport helicopter terminal on Thursday, said: "It's just horrible thinking about the families. | |
| "Those fellas coming home for New Year had not had a Christmas and the families - I can't imagine what they're going through." | |
| There was no emergency call so whatever happened happened very fast David LearmountFlight International Surprise of tragedy | |
| David Learmount, safety expert with Flight International magazine, said the accident must have happened "very quickly". | |
| "There was no emergency call so whatever happened happened very fast," he added. | |
| The age of the helicopter - it was manufactured in 1986 - was "one of the factors that the investigators will look at", he added. | |
| "But, on the other hand, all of the other components are lifed individually. | |
| "You can bet your bottom dollar that, apart from the chassis, just about every part will have been replaced - in some cases several times - since it was built." | |
| 'Excellent' record | |
| CHC Scotia said that, while the aircraft itself was 20 years old, "most of the components are regularly replaced". | |
| Spokesman Keith Mullett said the firm operated five Eurocopter AS365N helicopters - known as the "Dauphin" - in Europe, and the aircraft's safety record and performance in the fleet had been "excellent". | |
| Mr Mullett said it was "extremely difficult" to say at this stage what had happened. | Mr Mullett said it was "extremely difficult" to say at this stage what had happened. |
| "The amount of information we have is extremely limited, the investigation is in its early stages. It is much too early to say or to speculate at all about what could have happened," he said. | "The amount of information we have is extremely limited, the investigation is in its early stages. It is much too early to say or to speculate at all about what could have happened," he said. |
| Both pilots were experienced, he added. | |
| Inquiry launched | Inquiry launched |
| Centrica's Sam Laidlaw said: "Our priority is to provide as much support as we can. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families at this terrible time." | Centrica's Sam Laidlaw said: "Our priority is to provide as much support as we can. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families at this terrible time." |
| Mr Laidlaw said it was the first major incident to affect the company's operations in Morecambe Bay since they began 21 years ago. | Mr Laidlaw said it was the first major incident to affect the company's operations in Morecambe Bay since they began 21 years ago. |
| The four dead passengers all worked for Centrica, and Mr Smith is an employee of one of its contractors, Costain Petrofac. | The four dead passengers all worked for Centrica, and Mr Smith is an employee of one of its contractors, Costain Petrofac. |
| The Air Accident Investigations Branch (AAIB) has launched an inquiry into the incident. | The Air Accident Investigations Branch (AAIB) has launched an inquiry into the incident. |
| A rescue operation was launched involving RAF rescue helicopters from RAF Valley and RAF Leconfield, coastguard and RNLI crews, and a rig support vessel joined the search. | A rescue operation was launched involving RAF rescue helicopters from RAF Valley and RAF Leconfield, coastguard and RNLI crews, and a rig support vessel joined the search. |
| Gas was discovered in the area in 1974 and extraction operations began 11 years later. There are about 143 Centrica staff working on the platforms at any one time. | Gas was discovered in the area in 1974 and extraction operations began 11 years later. There are about 143 Centrica staff working on the platforms at any one time. |