Black box, final bodies recovered from helicopter wreckage

Investigators said Tuesday afternoon they had recovered the cockpit voice and flight data recorders from an offshore oil industry helicopter that crashed last week off the east coast of Newfoundland, killing all but one of the 18 people aboard.

The revelation came just hours after crews recovered the final seven bodies of the missing passengers from the wreckage of the Cougar Helicopters aircraft, which is lying on its side in deep water.

Mike Cunningham, the lead investigator with the Transportation Safety Board, said the recorders, including the so-called black box, were brought to St. John's with the bodies, and have now been sent to Ottawa, where they will be examined by TSB technicians.

"We'll start the work of extracting the data from those," Cunningham told CBC News.  

The full analysis of the recorder is expected to take between a week and 10 days. However, he said, some preliminary information may be available as early as late Tuesday.

The recorders may shed important light on what happened in the final minutes of the helicopter's flight. The Cougar chopper crashed into the Atlantic about 55 kilometres east-southeast of St. John's last Thursday morning, killing 17 people.

Meanwhile, Newfoundland and Labrador's chief medical examiner continued work Tuesday on identifying the remains of the deceased.

"All remaining bodies, the remaining seven bodies, have been recovered and they are presently being taken to the care of the chief medical examiner," RCMP Sgt. Wayne Newell told reporters early Tuesday.

The helicopter had been ferrying workers to two of the three offshore oil platforms southeast of St. John's when, authorities said, the crew reported a drop in oil pressure in the gearbox.

One passenger survived and is being treated for serious injuries in hospital in St. John's. The RCMP said they hope to be able to speak with Robert Decker later this week.

One body had been recovered on the ocean surface Thursday. A funeral was held Monday in Fermeuse, a community south of St. John's, for Allison Maher, 26, who had worked as a caterer on an offshore oil platform.

A robotic underwater remote-operated vehicle (ROV) lifted the rest of the deceased from the fuselage of the helicopter, a Sikorsky S-92.

Bringing closure

Authorities said finding and bringing back the bodies of the missing has been their paramount goal since Friday night, when a search for the living grimly turned into a body recovery effort.

"It certainly brings closure," Newell told reporters in St. John's.

"It's a tough time for everybody, but at least to have their loved ones repatriated and to bring some closure to people, [it] certainly is helpful."

On Wednesday evening, an ecumenical service will be held at the Roman Catholic Basilica of St. John the Baptist, in downtown St. John's. Open to people of all faiths, the service will be the first official public ceremony to honour the memory of the dead. Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Defence Minister Peter MacKay are scheduled to attend.

Hank Williams, base manager of the Cougar Helicopters operation in St. John's, said families of the deceased are welcoming the news.

"They have a big sense of relief and [can] move forward, that's for sure," Williams told CBC News. "That's the best result that could have come out of the search."

The Atlantic Osprey, an offshore supply ship that has been used as the base for the recovery operation, left St. John's later Tuesday morning to return to the scene of the crash.

With the bodies recovered, the work of the Transportation Safety Board-led crew now turns to lifting the helicopter to the surface.

The fuselage, which investigators say has shown signs of serious damage, has a broken tail boom and is lying on its side on the ocean floor, at a depth of 178 metres.

Meanwhile, Newell said the medical examiner's office confirmed the identities of six bodies that had been brought to St. John's early Monday. Their families, he said, have been notified.

Newell said notifying the families has been exceptionally difficult.

"It takes the life out of you, to have to say that," he said.

Survivor showing signs of recovery

Meanwhile, a family friend has told reporters that Decker, who worked as an ice spotter in the offshore oil industry, remains in critical condition at the Health Sciences Centre in St. John's.

"Robert has significant lung injury. He has several fractures and will require surgery. There is no neurological damage, he is able to move all of his limbs, there are no burns and his vision is fine," David Philpott said Monday.

Decker, he said, remains heavily sedated but there have been signs of recovery.

"It has been possible to remove the ventilator for extended periods of time," he said. "He has been able to speak briefly with his doctors and family members."

What Decker can remember of the final minutes of the Cougar helicopter's flight could be critical in the investigation. Philpott said that after Decker speaks with authorities, investigators will be responsible for releasing any information about the crash.

Newell said the RCMP are still advised by hospital officials that Decker should be able to speak with investigators before the end of the week.

"That remains variable. Obviously, his health is the first priority," Newell said Tuesday. "When he's ready, however long it takes, we'll speak to him."

15 of deceased named

All but three of the identified people who were aboard the helicopter lived in Newfoundland and Labrador, where the offshore oil industry has emerged in the last decade as a primary employer.

The names released by the RCMP so far are:

• Thomas Anwyll, 46, Langley, B.C.
• Peter Breen, 55, St. John's.
• Gary Corbett, 46, Conception Bay South.
• Matthew William Thomas Davis, 34, St. John's, pilot of the helicopter.
• Wade Drake, 42, Fortune.
• Wade Duggan, 32, Witless Bay.
• Corey Eddy, 32, of Paradise, formerly of Sibley's Cove.
• Colin Henley, 38, St. John's.
• Tim Lanouette, 48, Comox, B.C., first officer on the helicopter.
• Allison Maher, 26, Mount Pearl, formerly of Aquaforte.
• Ken MacRae, 47, Greenwood, N.S.
• Derrick Mullowney, 51, Bay Bulls.
• Burch Nash, 44, Fortune.
• John Pelley, 41, Deer Lake.
• Paul Pike, 49, Spaniard's Bay.

Two families have not consented to the release of their loved ones' names.