4/17/2023 NTSB data base search results:
Posts Tagged ‘helicopter crash’
Preliminary NTSB report on the tragic 12/29/2022 Gulf of Mexico helicopter crash at the West Delta 106 A platform
Posted in accidents, Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General, tagged 4 fatalities, Bell 407, helicopter crash, NTSB, Rotorcraft, Walter Oil and Gas on January 18, 2023| Leave a Comment »
The attached NTSB report includes details on the timing of the accident, observations from personnel remaining on the platform, condition of the helipad, nature and location of the debris, and the recovery of the fuselage and separated tail boom. The engine control unit (ECU) was recovered and sent to an NTSB lab for data extraction.
More on the tragic Gulf of Mexico helicopter crash (12/29/2022)
Posted in accidents, Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General, Regulation, tagged 4 fatalities, BSEE, David Scarborough, FAA, helicopter crash, Island Operating Co., Lacy Scarborough, NTSB, Rotorcraft, Walter Oil and Gas on January 9, 2023| Leave a Comment »
- The bodies of the 4 victims have been recovered.
- The 3 offshore workers were employees of Island Operating Co., a production contractor. The pilot worked for Rotorcraft Leasing Company, the owner of the Bell 406 helicopter that crashed. The platform is owned by Walter Oil and Gas, the operating company.
- A preliminary FAA report confirms that the helicopter crashed onto the helideck during takeoff, breaking apart and falling into the Gulf.
- 4 passengers had been dropped off at the platform before the fatal takeoff. Presumably there were witnesses to the incident.
- According to the FAA report, the platform was located at West Delta Block 106. Per the BOEM platform data base, the platform was installed in 1994, is in 252′ of water, and is continuously manned.
- Per the BSEE INC data base, the platform had not been cited for any violations since 2016.
Lacy Scarborough, wife of victim David Scarborough, is pregnant. Tragically, the couple lost their first child in an accidental drowning in March. David was heading home for the holidays after completing his 2 week shift on the platform. He had worked offshore for 8 years. Per Lacy, David’s last message was that he was taking off and would be home soon.
The only other victim who has been identified is Tim Graham of Quitman, Mississippi.
I trust that the NTSB will conduct a timely and thorough investigation, and hope they consider offshore helideck oversight, both in terms of industry programs and government regulation. The most recent Coast Guard – BSEE MOA for fixed platforms added to helideck regulatory uncertainty by assigning decks and fuel handling to BSEE and railings and perimeter netting to the Coast Guard. This is the antithesis of holistic, systems-based regulation.
More on the crash: ominous message, update #3
Update #3: Gulf of Mexico helicopter crash
Posted in accidents, Gulf of Mexico, Uncategorized, tagged BSEE, fatalities, Gulf of Mexico, helicopter crash, Rotorcraft, Walter Oil and Gas on December 30, 2022| 1 Comment »
- This was the second crash for the operator (Rotorcraft) in two weeks, its second fatal for the year, and the third in the Gulf of Mexico since October.
- On December 15, a Rotorcraft Leasing Bell 206L-4 with three aboard crashed while taking off from a platform 35 miles south of Terrebonne Bay, Louisiana. In that accident, one of the helicopter’s skids caught under the helipad’s perimeter railing, and the aircraft fell into the water below. (We have concerns that yesterday’s incident may have had a similar cause.)
- On October 26, a Westwind Helicopters Bell 407 with three aboard crashed into the Gulf 25 miles south of Morgan City, Louisiana after the pilot apparently experienced an in-flight medical emergency and told his front seat passenger he “was not going to make it” and then slumped over the controls. The front-seat passenger then attempted to gain control of the helicopter prior to the water impact. After several hours, both passengers were rescued with serious injuries, but the pilot died. (This is why I never liked single pilot aircraft.)
- Another of the company’s Bell 407s crashed on January 14 near Houma, Louisiana, killing both occupants. A witness to the accident said the helicopter appeared to dive nose-down into terrain. To date, investigators in that accident have not discovered any mechanical or structural failure that would account for that crash.
Get to work HSAC, NTSB, BSEE, USCG, FAA, and all others who are involved with offshore helicopter safety.
Not a word about this tragedy on the Rotorcraft, Walter Oil & Gas, or BSEE websites, and no public statements can be found. At a minimum, one would have expected condolences to the families and a commitment to find out what happened and prevent recurrences.
Update #2: Gulf of Mexico helicopter crash
Posted in accidents, Gulf of Mexico, tagged Gulf of Mexico, helicopter crash, Rotorcraft, Walter Oil and Gas on December 30, 2022| Leave a Comment »
From Lars Herbst:
- Tragically, the pilot and 3 passengers are assumed dead.
- Aircraft reported as Bell 407, a very common smaller aircraft used in the GOM
- Crashed on departure; apparently hit the helideck before tumbling into the Gulf
- Second Rotorcraft helicopter to go down in the Gulf in three months
The next Helicopter Safety Advisory Conference (HSAC) meeting, scheduled for January 18-19 in Houston, is now urgent.
Update on Gulf of Mexico helicopter crash
Posted in accidents, Gulf of Mexico, Uncategorized, tagged Gulf of Mexico, helicopter crash, US Coast Guard, Walter Oil and Gas on December 30, 2022| Leave a Comment »
- The Coast Guard has suspended their search
- Pilot and 3 passengers were departing a platform owned by Walter Oil and Gas
- Rotorcraft Leasing Co. was the helicopter contractor
- The Coast Guard crew searched for about 180 square miles for eight hours
- A Mississippi man with an expectant wife was one of the victims
- No details yet on the type of helicopter and how this happened
4 missing following Gulf of Mexico helicopter crash; no further details at this time
Posted in accidents, Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General, Uncategorized, tagged Gulf of Mexico, helicopter crash, US Coast Guard on December 29, 2022| Leave a Comment »
FAA won’t require helicopter gear box retrofits
Posted in accidents, tagged Canada, FAA, helicopter crash, helicopters, Newfoundland on July 19, 2011| Leave a Comment »
In light of the 2009 helicopter crash that killed 17 workers offshore Newfoundland and the rash of other helicopter incidents around the world, helicopter safety is a major concern for the offshore industry and regulators. This FAA decision (link courtesy of Cheryl Anderson) is sure to be controversial in Atlantic Canada and elsewhere.
The U.S. aviation regulator says it won’t require the retrofit of a gearbox blamed in a fatal helicopter crash off Newfoundland because it would be too expensive for the industry.
The decision by the Federal Aviation Administration rejects a call by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada to phase-in a requirement that all Sikorsky S-92A gearboxes be capable of operating at least 30 minutes after losing oil.
The March 2009 crash of Cougar Flight 491 resulted in 17 deaths during a flight to an offshore oil platform, and has brought demands from the families of the victims that regulators in the United States, Canada and Europe change the rules governing the gearbox.
The FAA memo on the decision, obtained by The Canadian Press under U.S. freedom of information legislation, says the service record of the helicopter no longer supports the certification’s basic premise that the chances of an oil leak are “extremely remote.”
Helicopter crash offshore Myanmar – 3 dead, 8 rescued
Posted in accidents, tagged accidents, helicopter crash, helicopters, Maylasia, Myanmar, Petronas, PTTEP on July 11, 2011| 1 Comment »
BOE’s Cheryl Anderson picked up this AP report. Helicopter accidents continue to be a leading cause of offshore casualties.
A helicopter carrying crew from an offshore drilling rig crashed into the sea off Myanmar, killing three people on board. Eight were rescued.
The aircraft was carrying staff of the Malaysian oil company Petronas from the Yetagun offshore gas field in the Andaman Sea.
The oil field is operated by Petronas Carigali of Malaysia, PTTEP of Thailand and Japan’s Nippon Oil company. Petronas also operates a cross-border gas pipeline to transport gas from Yetagun to Thailand.
Report on Newfoundland helicopter crash to be released on 9 February
Posted in accidents, tagged accidents, Canada, helicopter crash, Newfoundland, offshore oil, Robert Wells, safety on January 22, 2011| Leave a Comment »
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) will hold a news conference on Wednesday, February 9, 2011 to make public the final TSB investigation report (A09A0016) into the crash of a Cougar Helicopters Sikorsky S-92A off the coast of Newfoundland on March 12, 2009.
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 