ST. JOHN'S, Newfoundland, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- The sole survivor of a helicopter crash off the Newfoundland coast will testify for an inquiry into helicopter safety for offshore workers, a lawyer said.
Anne Fagan, an attorney involved in the inquiry, said Robert Decker of St. Johns, Newfoundland and Labrador, was on Cougar Flight 491 when it crashed in the Atlantic Ocean in March, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Monday.
Seventeen offshore workers died in the accident but Decker survived.
"Our climate makes escape from a helicopter very difficult. Our water is bitterly cold at all times of the year and strong winds here bring high seas, and that is something that we have to deal with," said retired Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court Judge Robert Wells, who is part of the group attempting to determine whether helicopter transportation of workers is as safe as possible.
Decker, family members of the crash victims, and dozens of other witnesses are scheduled to testify, the newspaper said.
