AN inquest into the death of Richard Menzies, who died when the helicopter he was co-piloting crashed into sea off the Aberdeenshire coast on April 1, 2009, will take place on July 24.

Mr Menzies, who was 24 when he died, a former pupil at Pershore High School and hailed from Droitwich, was among 16 men who died when the Super Puma, operated by Bond Offshore plumeted into the North Sea five years ago.

A fatal accident inquiry (FAI) held before Sheriff Principal Derek Pyle earlier this year found the tragedy might have been avoided if proper maintenance had been carried out.

Despite this the Crown Office said the company would not be prosecuted as failings could not be proved beyond reasonable doubt.

An earlier Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) probe found that the aircraft suffered a "catastrophic failure" of its main rotor gearbox.

Speaking after the findings earlier this year, a spokesman for Bond Offshore said the firm accepted it had made mistakes and lessons had been learned.

The inquest is set to take place at the Worcestershire Coroners Court in Stourport at 11am on July 24.