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| Super Puma co-pilot death 'preventable', says coroner | Super Puma co-pilot death 'preventable', says coroner |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| A helicopter crash which killed its co-pilot and 15 other men could have been prevented, an inquest has found. | A helicopter crash which killed its co-pilot and 15 other men could have been prevented, an inquest has found. |
| Richard Menzies, 24, from Droitwich Spa, was on board the Bond Super Puma when it crashed into the North Sea, killing all those on board. | Richard Menzies, 24, from Droitwich Spa, was on board the Bond Super Puma when it crashed into the North Sea, killing all those on board. |
| Worcestershire Coroner Geraint Williams said the April 2009 crash came after a "catastrophic" gearbox failure. | Worcestershire Coroner Geraint Williams said the April 2009 crash came after a "catastrophic" gearbox failure. |
| He echoed an earlier inquiry which found a failure to follow maintenance procedures. | He echoed an earlier inquiry which found a failure to follow maintenance procedures. |
| 'Significant fault' | 'Significant fault' |
| Returning a narrative verdict, Mr Williams identified "a number of failures" in the helicopter's maintenance programme. | Returning a narrative verdict, Mr Williams identified "a number of failures" in the helicopter's maintenance programme. |
| He said this "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." | He said this "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." |
| A fatal accident inquiry held before Sheriff Principal Derek Pyle, which concluded in March, found a "significant gearbox fault" was missed. | A fatal accident inquiry held before Sheriff Principal Derek Pyle, which concluded in March, found a "significant gearbox fault" was missed. |
| Relatives have called for a criminal prosecution but a case has never been brought. | Relatives have called for a criminal prosecution but a case has never been brought. |
| Mr Menzies's father, Andrew, said the inquest verdict was "probably" what he expected. He said he would like an independent judge to look at the evidence to satisfy the victims' families. | |
| "As a father I miss him terribly," he said. | |
| The inquest into Mr Menzies' death, at Worcestershire Coroner's Court, 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. | 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. |