Piper Alpha widow tells of sorrow

THE window of an oil worker killed in the Piper Alpha disaster has spoken of her sorrow about the latest tragedy.

For Ann Gillanders, the Super Puma helicopter crash which claimed 16 lives this week brought back memories of her own loss at sea.

Her husband Ian died in the Piper Alpha explosion nearly 21 years ago.

She said: “When I heard about the helicopter there was disbelief – you think ‘oh no’.

“It’s not just the people who died, it’s the families. You feel so much sorrow for them.

“There will be so many sore hearts.

“You find yourself wishing you can do something for them.”

Ann helped set up the Piper Alpha Families and Survivors’ Association.

She warned that families would need answers about Wednesday’s crash 15 miles off the Peterhead coast.

She said: “You can’t generalise but in the main people prefer to know what happened. I had people who didn’t want to go to the inquiry or watch the television, but they still wanted to know what happened.

“They will want to know whether it was an accident or whether it could have been avoided. They will want to make sure they didn’t lose their lives for nothing.

“They will want to make sure that everything is looked into so that some good can come of it.”

Investigations are being led by the Air Accident Investigation Branch and Grampian Police. The inquiry will be rigorous and patience may be required.

Ann said: “People might have questions that are not getting answered.”

The 64-year-old retired Gaelic lecturer eventually learned what happened to her husband, who was 50 when he died.

Ian made his escape with cabin mate Bob Ballantyne. Bob, who survived but later died of cancer, climbed down one leg of the platform while Ian went down another.

The leg Ian had chosen was hit by an explosion and he perished.

His body was never found, which has made grieving especially difficult.

Last year she took her three-year-old granddaughter Annabel to the Piper Alpha memorial in Aberdeen and showed her his name.

Eight of the 16 men who died aboard the Super Puma helicopter, returning from a BP oil field, have been recovered so far.

The rest are thought to be trapped in the wreckage on the sea bed.

Anne, from Nairn, said knowing a loved one was not alone when they died could bring comfort.

She said: “I find very often it’s best if people can talk to each other.

“But families are different.

“One person might want to talk all the time, but others might want to keep it to themselves.”

dewen@ajl.co.uk