Families anxious for testimony from Newfoundland crash survivor

Canwest News Service
November 3, 2009

The sole survivor of a helicopter crash off Newfoundland in March will take the stand at a public inquiry into the disaster Thursday, speaking publicly for the first time since the accident that claimed the lives of 17 of his fellow offshore oil workers.

Photo by: Handout

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — The sole survivor of a helicopter crash off Newfoundland in March will take the stand at a public inquiry into the disaster Thursday, speaking publicly for the first time since the accident that claimed the lives of 17 of his fellow offshore oil workers.

Robert Decker's testimony will be closely watched by Newfoundlanders, people who work in the oil industry and by safety experts.

But no one will be paying greater attention than the families and friends of those who lost their lives in the crash, which happened as the Sikorsky S-92 was making an emergency return to St. John's last March 12.

Although Decker has not spoken publicly about the incident, in a brief statement released last spring he described escaping through a window shortly after the impact.

The body of one worker, Allison Maher, was recovered on the surface. The bodies of the 16 others were recovered in a painstaking operation over the following days.

A memorial service for the victims attracted thousands, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Premier Danny Williams, family and friends and many others with no direct connection to the victims.

Inquiry lawyer Anne Fagan said Tuesday there is tremendous interest in Decker's testimony and many of the families of the crash victims will be attending Thursday's hearing.

Since there is limited seating at the inquiry, Fagan said priority will be given to the families of the passengers and flight crew.

"Unfortunately, there is not going to be any space for the general public," she said.

She encouraged people to watch the inquiry webcast on their computer.

"We're doing our best. Our web provider has said that it should be able to accommodate all the traffic. However, we'd encourage (people) to look at their TVs as their first source," she said.

Meanwhile, as the inquiry continues Cougar Helicopters Ltd. of St. John's, operator of the Sikorsky S-92A that crashed, said Monday an inspection of the main gearbox of another of its S-92As, based in Halifax, has turned up a hairline crack in one of its mounting feet.

A failure in the mounting studs of the S-92 gearbox was implicated in the March crash. Since then, the studs have been replaced in the S-92 fleet worldwide.

Cougar said it has informed its customers using the S-92 of the Halifax incident and the gearbox has been removed and will be replaced.

With files from St. John's Telegram