Grenville,
Thanks for your reply. Yes, I am well aware that both the industry and the authorities would be able to mess up such a proposal before it even starts. Getting the customers/users (oil companies/'bears' unions) to apply the pressure sounds like a good idea.
In the short term, how about another appoach? A confidential survey, or confidential interviews with all personnel who have worked for more than one North Sea helicopter operator? It is bound to identify examples of how similar incidents were handled in different ways.
My concern is that the further away from the spanners/cyclic stick/ops room one goes, the more the true 'modus operandi' is distorted and the detail missed. Only by being right where the decisions are made, can a true feel for the way a helicopter is operated be made.