Body of fourth Shetland helicopter crash victim recovered

The body of the fourth victim of a North Sea helicopter crash has been recovered from the aircraft wreckage.

Four people were killed when the Super Puma carrying oil workers plunged into the sea off Shetland on Friday evening.

Rescuers recovered three bodies in the aftermath of the crash and the fourth was removed from the wreckage this afternoon.

Chief Inspector Angus MacInnes, from Police Scotland, said: "The fourth person was recovered from the wreckage a short time ago and we have deployed family liaison officers to support those who have lost loved ones. We are also working with the industry to help support all of those affected."

All Super Puma flights to and from UK offshore installations have been suspended after the crash.

Helicopter operator CHC said it has grounded the AS332 L2 aircraft which ditched without warning while carrying 18 workers on Friday evening.

The company has also suspended all UK commercial flights of three other Super Puma models following a recommendation from an aviation safety association.

The offshore industry’s Helicopter Safety Steering Group (HSSG) urged the precautionary measure until there is “sufficient factual information” to resume flights. The cause of the accident is not yet known.

Those who died have been named as Duncan Munro (46) from Bishop Auckland, County Durham; George Allison (57) from Winchester, Hampshire; Sarah Darnley (45) from Elgin in the Highlands and 59-year-old Gary McCrossan, from Inverness.

The helicopter was being operated by CHC for oil company Total and was transporting workers from the Borgsten Dolphin platform when it is believed to have experienced a “catastrophic” loss of power as it approached the airport on the southern tip of Shetland’s main island.

Of the 14 survivors, two remain in hospital on Shetland and 12 returned to Aberdeen yesterday. One Total employee was on board and the remainder worked for contract companies, including those killed.

Mr Munro leaves behind wife Penny and 12-year-old daughter Katie. His family said in a statement: “He will be sadly missed by everyone that knew him and his death will leave a large void in a lot of people’s lives.”

Ms Darnley’s family paid tribute to a ”fun-loving, free spirit” who was brought up in Elgin and moved to Aberdeen aged 19. The offshore worker is survived by parents Anne and Edmund Darnley, her sister Angela and nephew Nicholas. Her mother Anne said: ”We are shocked by the sudden loss of Sarah, who was a fun-loving free spirit who will be sorely missed. ”Sarah lived life to the full, she was easy going and a one-off. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her.”

Mr McCrossan worked for Stork Technical Services. Mike Mann, a senior vice president at the firm, said: “Our heartfelt condolences go out to Gary’s family and to all of those affected by this tragedy.”

Mr Allison had been working at the Offshore Dunbar Platform as a project safety supervisor for just over a year when he was killed, according to his LinkedIn profile. He described himself as a “highly qualified, experienced and competent Safety Advisor” who has worked in the offshore industry for 27 years.

A team from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch has travelled to Aberdeen to carry out initial inquiries into the incident.

There have been five North Sea incidents involving Super Pumas since 2009.