Helicopter Ditches Off NL

[TenPenny]

One of the shuttle flights from St John's to Hibernia/White Rose ditched this morning with 18 people on board.

As far as I can tell, either one or two have been rescued, but no word on anyone else yet.

 

[TenPenny]

1 body, 1 survivor so far, the life rafts are empty.

 

[mt_pockets1000]

Terrible news. One confirmed fatality according to VOCM. Two life rafts were spotted in the water, apparently empty. The Health Sciences Center is on standby to receive any injured. Let's hope the rest of the folks are rescued soon.

http://www.vocm.com/news-info.asp?id=34811

 

[Trex]

Its probably going be bad.
It's a dangerous line of work.
And those seas out there are nasty at best.

My sympathies go out to the men's friends and families.

Hopefully a miracle occurs.

Trex

 

[CanadianLove]

I would have to guess that it was the pilot and co-pilot that got out of the heli. The report that I saw said that they last saw the heli bottom up but had since gone under. The rafts were likly self-deployable. The seas were said to be 2m this afternoon which can be pretty scary out there,but would not alone kill them all, and you can loose sight pretty easy, but no signals have been picked up - they also would have been automatic. My guess would be they didnt get out of the heli.

No signals from locator beacons on suits worn by oil workers: officials

CTV.ca | One dead, 16 missing after N.L. helicopter crash

Next step will likely be to find the helicoter and salvage it. They have good equipment for that, being exploration companies.

 

[china]

Canada helicopter crashes, 17 missing
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-03-13 00:24

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TORONTO -- Seventeen people are missing in the frigid waters off Canada's Atlantic coast after a helicopter crashed while ferrying workers to an offshore oil platform, a search and rescue spokeswoman said on Thursday.
The helicopter was on its way to the platform when it went down about 47 nautical miles southeast of the Newfoundland and Labrador capital of St. John's, said Jeri Grychowski of the Rescue Co-ordination Center in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
"There were 18 people on board. One has been taken out of the water," she said.
"There is a life raft in the water, but at this particular time we don't have any indication if there's anybody in it."
She said the helicopter regularly ferries people between St. John's and the Hibernia platform.
Images on CBC TV showed a rescue helicopter landing in St. John's and a person on a stretcher being wheeled to an ambulance.
A Hercules aircraft, two Cormorant rescue helicopters, and two surface ships were actively searching the site, Grychowski said.
She said water temperatures were just above freezing, with waves of up to three meters (nine feet).
The aircraft is owned by Cougar Helicopters of St. John's, which plans to hold a press conference later on Thursday, the company said.
The Hibernia platform is owned by Petro-Canada, Exxon Mobil Corp. with 33.125 percent, Chevron Corp., Murphy Oil Corp. with 6.5 percent, StatoilHydro, and the government of Canada.

 

[Diarygirl]

It is a very dangerous shuttle from the island to the oil rig. Sad event for certain. It doesn't sound good for the men that are lost. Even if they had survival suits on they could only last 24 hours. My thoughts are with the families and friends.

 

[Johnnny]

When i was working in kitsault, 4 diamond driller died in a helicopter crash.... FUnny thing is my crew and them switched choppers 2 days prior, scary stuff

 

[#juan]

As someone else suggested, the helicopter probably hit pretty hard and only the pilot and copilot got out and only one of them survived. The people inside just couldn't manage to get it together and get out before it sank. What a nightmare of a way to die.

 

[EagleSmack]

As someone else suggested, the helicopter probably hit pretty hard and only the pilot and copilot got out and only one of them survived. The people inside just couldn't manage to get it together and get out before it sank. What a nightmare of a way to die.

Agreed. This was one of my biggest fears in helos over water. They are top heavy and flip almost immediately upon hitting the water. What was up is now down, left becomes right in disorientation. Frigid water, intense panic... horrible way to go for these folks and my heart goes out to their families.

 

[#juan]

Agreed. This was one of my biggest fears in helos over water. They are top heavy and flip almost immediately upon hitting the water. What was up is now down, left becomes right in disorientation. Frigid water, intense panic... horrible way to go for these folks and my heart goes out to their families.

Back in the olden days when I was in the airforce, didn't life jackets have a radio beacon on them that turned on when you hit the water? Perhaps it only applied to pilots who ejected over water. Maybe my mind is going....;-)

 

[CanadianLove]

Back in the olden days when I was in the airforce, didn't life jackets have a radio beacon on them that turned on when you hit the water? Perhaps it only applied to pilots who ejected over water. Maybe my mind is going....;-)

Yes each suit was said to have a beacon attached. This is mandatory. The also said something, which makes me think it was a company policy, that they all had their suits on. They are likely required to wear their suits during flight. their suits may have been more streamlined, but ones I have worn are a pain to even move in let alone get out those small door with the suit pressing you to the floor with floatation.

But no signals were picked up, which makes me think they are still inside. 406MHz. same as avalanche beacons.

 

[CanadianLove]

Crashed helicopter found on sea floor, recovery planned

Last Updated: Saturday, March 14, 2009 | 3:31 PM NT

Mike Cunningham said a TSB team hopes to raise the sunken Cougar Helicopters aircraft early next week. (CBC)


The Transportation Safety Board has confirmed the location of an oil industry helicopter that crashed into the ocean southeast of Newfoundland on Thursday, killing 17 people.

"It looks like the fuselage is relatively intact," lead investigator Mike Cunningham told CBC News on Saturday afternoon, after an underwater remote-operated vehicle confirmed the location of a Cougar Helicopters aircraft that went down in the frigid Atlantic waters.

"It is laying on the bottom, on its side. The tail boom of the helicopter is broken off, but it is laying right beside the rest of the fuselage."

No bodies were, as yet, located, said Cunningham, adding that families had been notified.

Earlier, Cunningham told a media briefing that a sonar scan had found "a fairly large anomaly," which investigators believed was the Cougar Helicopters aircraft that crashed.

Cunningham said the initial sweep showed the ground floor was largely flat and featureless.

Only one person survived the crash. The body of a woman was pulled from the ocean on Thursday and searchers have been unable to locate the remaining 16 who were on board. At sunset on Friday evening, a search for survivors turned into a recovery effort, with the TSB launching an investigation into what went wrong.

Underwater remote-operated vehicles were in the water Saturday afternoon to glean more information about the helicopter, which may still contain the bodies of the missing.

The TSB has assembled a team of 20 people, including five experts from the U.S. who specialize in helicopters, to work on the investigation.

Cunningham said Canadian military officials have volunteered their assistance.
He said the Osprey was also carrying RCMP investigators as well as officials from Cougar Helicopters and Sikorsky, the chopper's manufacturer.

"If everything goes well, if Mother Nature co-operates with us, if nothing goes against us, we're hoping that we may lift that aircraft out of the water on Monday or Tuesday," Cunningham said.

He added that once the fuselage is recovered, the team will "very respectfully" remove the bodies from the fuselage.

Crashed helicopter found on sea floor, recovery planned

 

[Trex]

Back in the olden days when I was in the airforce, didn't life jackets have a radio beacon on them that turned on when you hit the water? Perhaps it only applied to pilots who ejected over water. Maybe my mind is going....;-)

Each suit is a waterproof unit with rubber gaskets around neck and wrists, a little like a divers dry suit.
Standard policy in winter is to require two long sleeved shirts under the suits.
They also may be required to wear a poly- pro bunny suit under the survival suit.
Each survival suit comes with attached neoprene mitts and a hood which are pulled on when required.
The suits are sealed before boarding and remain sealed until you depart the bird into the heli-lounge.
The suits have a built in splash guard/face shield which pulls down from the hood.
An oxygen re breathing system is strapped to the chest, upon crashing you stick the scuba style mouthpiece in your mouth and put on a nose clip,that gives you three or four minutes of air to attempt and underwater helo escape.
Also attached to the chest is a co2 inflated life jacket.
An emergency radio signaling beacon activated by water contact is attached at the side of the suit.
A water activated strobe light is attached to the shoulder.
And you get a whistle on a piece of string.

All men take a course affectionately called burn n' drown.
You go in a helo crash simulator which plunges into a pool and then spins upside down and sinks.
You punch out the fake windows with your elbow, activate your re- breather, undo the six point harness, figure out which way is up by watching the bubbles and swim out the window.

The burn bit consists of a large steel room. They pile straw on one side ,soak it in diesel, close the doors and light it up. The they wait until the room temperature climbs up to a level which would roast a turkey in minutes and visibility is zero.
You put on a nomex suit, nomex gloves, a nomex hood, a firemans jacket, a firemens helmet, a fullface fireproof mask and an air tank.
You crawl through the room by feeling your way along the far wall.
All you can see is a weird orange glow and you can hear a roaring noise.

It's a cool course to take.

The men had the gear and the training I am sure.
On choppers if the transmission seizes it can prevent the pilot from auto rotating.
That means you drop like a rock.

Once again my sympathies go out to the guys and the families.

Trex

 

[earth_as_one]

Investigators find wreckage of downed chopper
globeandmail.com: TSB finds wreckage of downed chopper

 

[EagleSmack]

Back in the olden days when I was in the airforce, didn't life jackets have a radio beacon on them that turned on when you hit the water? Perhaps it only applied to pilots who ejected over water. Maybe my mind is going....;-)

Perhaps for pilots in fixed winged aircraft but for the rank and file in a helo they didn't, at least in my experiences. You boarded the helo with your gear on.

I went to the Helo Egress training when they have a CH-46 shell and basically drop it in a pool and it flips and you have to get out. It works fine in training. But when you add a more Marines and a helo smashing into the ocean at whatever angle it happens to hit, gear flying all over, exits being crushed, 20 pairs of boots kicking, ocean water rushing in... things change and odds decrease with regards to survival.

 

[CanadianLove]

Chopper crash victim remembered as 'loving soul'

Updated Mon. Mar. 16 2009 11:44 AM ET
CTV.ca News Staff

One of the victims of last week's deadly helicopter crash is being remembered as a "loving soul" who could always make people laugh.

Allison Maher, 26, was killed along with 16 others on Thursday when the chopper they were travelling in crashed into the chilly North Atlantic.
There was only one survivor.

Jim Maher said his niece was "extremely independent and hard working" and lived life to the fullest.

"Those who knew Allison would agree that she was a soft, loving soul with a powerful and infectious sense of humour," Maher said in a statement issued at the funeral.

"When she was back on shore, she spent every waking moment with the people she cared about -- living life to its fullest with her family, friends and her boyfriend.

She did more in one year than most of us do in an entire lifetime."
Maher's funeral in Fermeuse, about two hours from St. John's, is the first in a series of memorials, as the victims of the crash are laid to rest.
Victim's names released
The RCMP confirmed at a Monday news conference that nine bodies were removed overnight from the wreckage of the helicopter that crashed with 18 people on board.

Chief Superintendent Reg Reeves released an updated list of the victims, noting that some of the families had requested privacy, and the RCMP was honouring the request. He couldn't say which victims' bodies had been removed from the wreckage.


Here are the names, ages and hometowns of the victims, as released by the RCMP:

• Allison Maher, 26 years old, Aquaforte, N.L.
• Paul Pike, 49 years old, Shearstown, N.L.
• Burch Nash, 44 years old, Fortune, N.L.
• Derrick Mullowney, 51 years old, Bay Bulls, N.L.
• Ken Macrae, 47 years old, Greenwood, N.S.
• Colin Henley, 38 years old, St. John's, N.L.
• Wade Duggan, 32 years old, Witless Bay, N.L.
• Wade Drake, 42 years old, Fortune, N.L.
• Gary Corbett, 46 years old, Conception Bay South, N.L.
• Peter Breen, 55 years old, St. John's, N.L.
• Thomas Anwyll, 46 years old, Langley, B.C.
• Tim Lanouette, 48 years old, Comox, B.C. - First Officer
• Corey Eddy, 32 years old, from Paradise, originally from Sibley's Cove, N.L.
• John Pelley, 41 years old, Deer Lake, N.L.
• Capt. Matthew William Thomas Davis, 34 years old, St. John's, N.L. - pilot

Robert Decker, the only survivor of the crash, is still in hospital in St. John's.

There is no word on Decker's condition, but Reeves said police have been told they will be able to speak with him by the end of the week.

The recovery is still underway and more bodies are still in the wreckage.

Removal of bodies
The bodies that were removed under the cover of darkness were taken to a St. John's hospital where they were being examined on Monday by Dr. Simon Avis, chief medical examiner for Newfoundland and Labrador.

"The medical examiner, Dr. Avis, is currently in the process now of trying to identify those persons who were brought to shore and at this point there have been no positive identifications."

The bodies were located inside the fuselage of the Sikorski S-92 helicopter that was ferrying oil workers between St. John's and an offshore oil platform when it reported engine troubles, before crashing.

The chopper wreckage was found 178 metres under water, and the bodies were removed using a remote operated vehicle, or ROV.

Footage from the ROVs has shown the chopper to be in rough shape. The cockpit is damaged, the fuselage cracked and the tail boom is broken off from the rest of the helicopter.

"The water temperatures have been cold and there's been high winds and the conditions have been challenging," RCMP Sgt. Wayne Newell told CTV's Canada AM.
He declined to estimate how long the full recovery would take.

"It will take as long as it takes. I can't give you an exact time or a turnaround on the shift but we'll do whatever we can to help bring some closure to the families on this."

Newell said the recovery team has been in constant communication with the family members of the workers who were aboard the chopper when it crashed.
"One of the things they need now is information and we're trying to help them with that."

The bodies were brought from the crash site to St. John's aboard the Atlantic Osprey, an offshore supply ship.

The vessel docked at the Canadian Coast Guard base, where it was met by several emergency vehicles.

Police cordoned off the area as the remains were unloaded from the Osprey. A few hours later the ship left to return to the crash site and continue with the recovery effort.

The plan is to eventually use the Osprey to pull the helicopter's wreckage from the ocean floor.

Community mourns
Some of those who were killed were from the Bay Bulls area of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mayor Don Drew said the entire community is mourning.
"In our area a number of people from that shore have been involved and there's no house, no family in the community that hasn't been affected," he told Canada AM.

He said many people from the area work on the offshore oil rigs, and are continuing to commute on helicopters between the mainland and the platforms.

CTV.ca | Chopper crash victim remembered as 'loving soul'

 

[#juan]

Perhaps for pilots in fixed winged aircraft but for the rank and file in a helo they didn't, at least in my experiences. You boarded the helo with your gear on.

I went to the Helo Egress training when they have a CH-46 shell and basically drop it in a pool and it flips and you have to get out. It works fine in training. But when you add a more Marines and a helo smashing into the ocean at whatever angle it happens to hit, gear flying all over, exits being crushed, 20 pairs of boots kicking, ocean water rushing in... things change and odds decrease with regards to survival.

You are absolutely right Eagle. Having the engines mounted high under the rotors pretty well guarantees that the helicopter will flip over after a crash landing. The resulting confusion, disorientation don't help, not to mention that the helicopter will soon be headed for the bottom.
My comment about the lifejacket beacons came from my time in the airforce. An earlier news report talked about a new search for the passengers and I wondered if modern lifejackets had anything to help the searchers. My airforce experience was close to forty years ago.;-)

 

[lone wolf]

We had beacons with a range of about two miles and a flight suit that gave you ten seconds to get from an icy ocean into a one-man-dingy - usually on a pitching sea. I have no idea at what altitude these people flew - but five thousand feet gives you about thirty seconds to prepare in free-fall.

 

[#juan]

A helicopter crash is usually not survivable. A loss of power with the aircraft control systems intact can be saved with auto-rotation. Autorotation is the phenomenon which results in the rotation of and lift generation by a rotorcraft's primary rotor through purely aerodynamic forces, under certain conditions. Autorotation is employed in the normal operation of an autogyro as the primary lifting mechanism, whereas it is used in helicopters only in an emergency mode after failure of the helicopter's powerplant or transmission. Basically using the spinning rotor as a sort of parachute.

YouTube - No flare autorotation