Former Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court judge Robert Wells didn't expect to pass his time after retiring strapped into a mock helicopter fuselage and plunged into a pool.
But the 76-year-old commissioner of an inquiry into the deadly Cougar Helicopters crash in March, which begins public hearings today, is a hands-on kind of guy. He had been studying the offshore oil industry and wanted to visit a platform. To do that he had to pass the same survival course rig workers take.
This meant surviving a realistic training exercise that offered valuable insight into the panic and danger of an actual helicopter crash.
After a tense moment of waiting, the mock chopper splashed down at the training site near St. John's, Mr. Wells recalled. He smashed out the nearest window and took a deep breath. Within 10 seconds he was upside down in the water.
"It's a very interesting thing to do," Mr. Wells said in his quiet way. "The first time I was surprised and I didn't get the big breath of air I should have got. I hung on and I was desperate to get out."
The commissioner's recent training , his offshore visit and the many written submissions are the less-visible part of the inquiry. Today the inquiry shifts to public hearings, the most highly anticipated phase for many.
The inquiry, which will not assign blame for the crash of the Sikorsky S-92, is seeking to improve offshore worker safety.
Cougar Helicopters Flight 91 was carrying two crew members and 16 workers on a routine run to the offshore oil platforms when a mayday call was issued. With no oil pressure in the main gearbox the helicopter went down within eight minutes, after a failed attempt to reach land. Two passengers ended up outside the wrecked chopper before it sank. Only one of them, Robert Decker, was recovered alive.
The March 12 crash sparked a wave of calls for a search-and-rescue helicopter to be stationed in St. John's. The father of victim Burch Nash echoed that call yesterday.
"We can't have too much search and rescue," Harold Nash said from his home in Fortune, Nfld., when asked what he wanted to come out of the inquiry. "My boy's gone but it could help someone else's life."
The call has been backed by local MP Jack Harris, one of the many granted standing at the inquiry. Others with standing include the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Petroleum Board, which oversees the offshore industry, oil companies, Cougar Helicopters, families of the deceased, Sikorsky and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers union.
"The number-one thing that we hope to accomplish is we need to improve on the level of safety," said CEP regional vice-president Ervan Cronk. "There certainly needs to be, in our view, a much higher level of participation from the workers' perspective. ... It's kind of an environment where it's intimidating for people to speak up."
With so many parties involved the process is expected to be slow. The first day will involve opening remarks, with witnesses not expected until tomorrow. First up will be representatives from the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board, the Transportation Safety Board and Transport Canada. These are expected to take about two weeks.
It is not yet clear whether the sole survivor of the crash will testify. The commissioner said it is up to Mr. Decker, who will not be subpoenaed.
Oliver Moore