OTTAWA - The widow of a passenger on board a Cougar helicopter that crashed off Newfoundland two years ago is calling on the federal government to improve aircraft safety standards.
Lori Chynn held a news conference in Ottawa today to press Transport Canada to demand tougher safety measures for the Sikorsky S-92 helicopter.
Chynn's husband, John Pelley, was one of 17 people who died March 12, 2009, when the helicopter taking them to an offshore platform crashed in waters off St. John's.
A Canadian investigation into the crash showed gearbox studs broke, causing a critical loss of oil.
Chynn says Transport officials should have done more to ensure the aircraft was safe, especially after a similar incident earlier in Australia involving the same model.
NDP MP Jack Harris says Transport Canada was aware before the Canadian crash that there were problems with S-92s in terms of the loss of oil and the ability to fly without oil.
