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of the British Broadcasting Corporation

 










The BBC's Ben Mccarthy
"It must have been an horrific accident"

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International Aviation Fire Protection Association

Aviation Fire Journal

Air Accidents Investigation Branch

Saturday, 20 July, 2002, 14:23 GMT 15:23 UK
Crash helicopter 'black box' found

Police and rescue workers
A big search operation is continuing

Teams searching for bodies and wreckage from the North Sea helicopter disaster have found the "black box" flight recorder.

It was amongst wreckage recovered on Saturday.

The search for the last remaining victim of the crash off the Norfolk coast is continuing.

Five bodies were found on Friday, bringing to 10 the number found.

The bodies were flown to James Paget Hospital at Gorleston on Saturday.

Police forensic officers
Forensic officers have been at the scene

The wreckage of the helicopter is to be sent to the Air Accident Investigation Branch at Farnborough.

Shell UK has asked Great Yarmouth's port chaplain, Peter Paine, to visit platform workers.

He told BBC Radio Norfolk: "Myself and another minister... are to go out today (Saturday), tomorrow and Monday to visit four platforms to console and comfort the workers out there.

"These are the workers in the immediate vicinity of the crash and they have been very hard hit by the occasion."

Victims named

Five people whose bodies were recovered shortly after the crash on Tuesday night have been named:

  • Philip George Stone, 53, of Norwich, Norfolk
  • Stuart Coggon, 45, of Middlesbrough, Cleveland
  • Angus MacArthur, 38, of Maryburgh, Ross-shire
  • Denis Kelleher, 40, of Lytham St Anne's, Lancashire
  • Kevin John Taylor, 50, of Norwich

    Those missing are Geoffrey Bispham, 51, from the North Walsham area of Norfolk; David Graves, 33, of Beccles, Suffolk; Douglas Learwood, 40, of Middlesbrough; and Paul Francis, 48, from Norwich.

    The pilot has been named as Captain Phillip Mark Wake, 42, from the Norwich area, and his co-pilot as First Officer Phillip Dearden, 32, of Norwich.

    Mechanical failure is being blamed for the tragedy, which happened when a Sikorsky S-76, owned by Bristow Helicopters, went down about 30 miles off the coast.

    Memorial service

    An inquest into the deaths of the first five men whose bodies were found, heard they had been identified from numbers on their waterproof survival suits and personal items held inside the suits.

    The inquest was adjourned until 5 September.

    A memorial service for the men who died is due to be held on Sunday at St Nicholas' Church, Great Yarmouth.