The family of a Mearns man who was a victim of the helicopter catastrophe off the Norwegian coast have paid tribute to the “loving husband and devoted dad”, as it emerged the fateful aircraft had been the subject of two warning alerts in the days leading up to the tragedy.
Father-of-two Iain Stuart from Laurencekirk was in the CHC Super Puma which crashed while carrying two crew and 11 passengers from the North Sea Gullfaks B oil field, around 74 miles off the Norwegian coast, en route to Flesland on Friday.
His family are being supported by police family liaison officers and in a brief statement said: “We as a family are devastated at the loss of Iain in Friday’s tragic helicopter crash in Norway.”
“Iain was a loving husband and devoted father to his two children and as a family we are heartbroken.
“He was a caring son, brother, uncle and friend to many. We are appreciative of all the messages of support and kind thoughts.”
“We now ask, as a family, that we are allowed some privacy at this difficult and sad time to grieve and come to terms with our loss.”
Online tributes to the 41-year-old said Mr Stuart, who worked for oilfield services company Halliburton, was a “top bloke” and “always a gent”, and at Brechin Golf Club the flag flew at half-mast in honour of the popular member.
All UK commercial passenger flights using the Airbus EC225LP – or Super Puma – model were grounded by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) following the accident and more than 6,500 people have now signed an online petition calling on the CAA to permanently remove the aircraft from service.
Operator CHC has also now confirmed that the helicopter involved had to return to base twice in the days before the tragedy after a warning light was triggered.
The Super Puma was forced to turn back to Flesland Airport in Bergen last Tuesday when the pilot spotted the indicator light.
After a part was replaced a test flight the following day was also aborted and another component changed when the light reappeared.
The company said the aircraft completed six commercial flights with no indications of problems on Thursday, the day before the fatal accident.
Television footage has shown what appears to be a helicopter rotor blade spiralling down minutes before the helicopter crashed.
In a statement CHC said: “It is correct that the helicopter returned to base on Tuesday April 26.
“The pilot had a warning light and returned to Flesland according to procedure. At Flesland the helicopter was inspected, according to procedure, and a part was replaced.
“Wednesday, the helicopter was taken on a test flight, where the warning light reappeared, the helicopter returned to base, changed another component, the next test drive was completed without any warning light.
“Thursday, the aircraft completed six commercial flights, all without any indication of problems. None of the changed parts were physically connected to rotor or gearbox.”
The statement added: “These Returns to Base (RTBs) are essential for flight safety and part of operating in a highly regulated industry. Sometimes an RTB can be for technical issues, other times it is much more mundane.
“At all times, CHC has met or exceeded the requirements of our regulatory authorities and our customers, and continues to offer a compliant service.
“Speculation about the cause of the accident is unhelpful and we must also be careful to respect the feelings of the families who perished in the tragic events of Bergen.”
The helicopter pilots, a Norwegian and an Italian, were CHC staff and the other Norwegian passengers were employed by companies including Schlumberger, Aker Solutions, and Statoil.
A team from the UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) is assisting with an investigation into the cause of the crash.
