Minute’s silence marks start of Clutha helicopter tragedy probe

(Top: left to right) David Traill; PC Kirsty Nelis; PC Tony Collins; Gary Arthur; Samuel McGhee (Bottom: left to right) Colin Gibson; Robert Jenkins; Mark O'Prey; John McGarrigle; Joe Cusker

The pilot, two crew members and seven customers in the Clutha bar in Glasgow were killed when the Police Scotland helicopter crashed on to the roof of the building on November 29 2013.

The FAI before Sheriff Principal Craig Turnbull is taking place in a temporary court at Hampden Park in Glasgow.

Pub customers Mark O’Prey, Gary Arthur, John McGarrigle, Colin Gibson, Robert Jenkins, Samuel McGhee and Joe Cusker died, while pilot Dave Traill and crew Tony Collins and Kirsty Nelis were also killed in the crash.

Personal statements about some of those who died were read out in tribute to them.

Kerry McGhee described her father Samuel McGhee as a hard worker who was “very sociable” with “many friends”.

A statement from Colin Gibson’s family said: “If you were lucky enough to meet him, you knew you had as he left a lasting impression on you.

“Ever since he was a young boy he enjoyed helping people.

“He had never visited the Clutha bar before. Colin just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

The sisters of Gary Arthur told the inquiry in a statement: “Nothing will ever bring our brother back but hopefully we will finally be given the chance to find closure.

“We want to remember Gary as a much-loved person and not just a victim of the Clutha.”

The first person to give evidence was witness Andrew Bergin.

The 30-year-old solicitor from Airdrie, Lanarkshire, told how he was walking by the riverside on the night in question.

He said of the helicopter: “It made what I can only describe as a spluttering noise. It wasn’t any lower than I would have seen it before.

“The tail of the helicopter dipped and pointed to the ground. Simultaneously, the light on the helicopter went out.

“It seemed to me that the rotor stopped spinning. It was still turning but not under power. It seemed to immediately lose height as soon as the spluttering occurred.”

More than 100 people were at the Clutha Vaults pub when the helicopter, returning to its base on the banks of the River Clyde, crashed through the roof.

An Air Accidents Investigations Branch (AAIB) report published in 2015 found two fuel supply switches were off and the pilot did not follow emergency procedures after a fuel warning in the cockpit.

The inquiry is expected to involve be spread over six calendar months this year.