North Sea helicopter safety has improved since fatal crash off Shetland seven years ago

Helicopter safety on the North Sea has improved following a fatal crash in 2013 when four passengers died including an Inverness man.

The 11th day of a fatal accident inquiry heard there had been no fatalities in the seven years since the Super Puma crashed into the sea off Shetland.

The accident rate has also halved.

Father-of-two Gary McCrossan (59), of Westhill, died from heart failure.

Sarah Darnley (45), of Elgin, Duncan Munro (46), of Bishop Auckland, and George Allison (57), of Winchester, died from drowning.

Captain Richard Newson, the flight operations manager for helicopters with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), told the inquiry that a systematic safety review was carried out after the accident.

Derek Pyle, sheriff principal of Grampian, Highland and Islands, asked if there had been improvement.

Captain Newson said the statistics showed there had been.

He said the fact that there had been no deaths in the past seven years, and that the accident rate had been halved was "tantamount to the work that has been put in".

Captain Newson said aspects reviewed included airworthiness, crew performance, flight data monitoring and passenger survival aspects, such as automatic float deployment, and window sizes.

All Crown witnesses have now been led, with written submissions now to be lodged.

The case has been adjourned until September 25.

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