A lawyer involved in an inquiry into helicopter safety said Monday morning that the lone survivor of a helicopter crash in March that killed 17 people will testify at the public hearing.

Commission counsel Anne Fagan told the inquiry room shortly after the hearing began that Robert Decker, a weather observer on the Hibernia oil rig, doesn't want to speak with the media, but she said he does want to tell his story through the inquiry.

Lone crash survivor Robert Decker will testify before the helicopter safety inquiry in early Nov. (CBC)

His appearance is tentatively slated for Nov. 5.

"He will describe the weather, the check-in for the flight, the donning of the suits, the preparation briefing and the boarding of the helicopter and flight out," she said.

"He will describe the flight back towards land, the crash of the helicopter into the ocean, his escape, and ascent to the surface. Mr. Decker will explain how the cold water affected his ability to access features of the survival suit, such as the gloves, face hood and flotation collar."

Fagan said Decker, who was 27 at the time of the crash, will also walk the inquiry through his being hoisted from the water by a Cougar search-and-rescue helicopter. He will also talk about his injuries and his recuperation.

"Mr. Decker is still recovering, and although this will be difficult for him, he believes it's important to provide the inquiry and the public, especially the families, with this information."

The inquiry was ordered after Cougar Flight 491 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Newfoundland, in March. Seventeen offshore workers died but Decker, who is from St. John's, survived.

Retired Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court judge Robert Wells has been asked to look into whether the transportation of offshore workers by helicopter is as safe as it can possibly be.

Former Supreme Court Judge Robert Wells is heading up the inquiry into offshore helicopter safety.

The inquiry opened with Wells saying that he doesn't believe it's possible to eliminate accidents entirely.

He said "over the years, accidents of some kind will perhaps happen," and that it should not be "sugar coated."

"Our climate makes escape from a helicopter very difficult. Our water is bitterly cold at all times of the year and strong winds here bring high seas, and that is something that we have to deal with."

Wells said that while people hope accidents won't happen, the question becomes "if a helicopter goes down, then how do we deal with an accident when it occurs?"

Wells said he went to the Hibernia platform recently to see for himself what it was like for offshore workers, and he said he was stranded there for nearly three days.

Wells said he was surprised when the helicopter finally left the platform in high winds — winds that he thought would have grounded a helicopter.

The inquiry adjourned for the day after opening remarks by Wells and the commission lawyer, with the first witness to start testifying Tuesday.

Dozens of witnesses are scheduled to testify over six weeks, including Decker and family members of the crash victims.