Oil rig chopper down at sea (March, 2009)

[2R]

They are saying twenty four hours is the benchmark for survival in the suits issued but some guys in ww2 survived for almost a week without survival suits after lossing their ships in the north atlantic.

They should keep looking until the find everyone as if the guys managed to get out and are together they may survive much longer than twenty fours hours .

[Widow]

TSB to try to raise wrecked helicopter

By Tara Brautigam and Michael Tutton,
THE CANADIAN PRESS


ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — A helicopter that crashed in the ocean while carrying 18 crew and workers to offshore oil platforms off Newfoundland will be raised from the ocean floor, investigators said Friday.

Mike Cunningham, lead investigator for the Transportation Safety Board, said the recovery of the downed chopper from 120 metres of water on the Grand Banks could take about a week.

“We don’t know a lot about what we’ll be facing,” he said during a news conference. “We want to do it safely and we want to do it as quickly as possible.”

Cunningham said it’s possible that balloons could be placed under the helicopter and then inflated to raise it to the surface.

But before that happens, he said a remote submersible equipped with cameras will be sent to the ocean floor as soon as Saturday to examine the wreck.

Cunningham said they will have to be careful not to damage the chopper during the lift.

“This helicopter is full of water now, so it’s quite heavy and it’s not designed to be lifted full of water. It’s designed to fly through the air.”

Ships and aircraft continued to scour the ocean Friday for 16 people still missing from the crash a day earlier. Officials said the search would continue until nightfall before a decision is made on whether to continue.

“We’ll continue until there is no chance of locating any survivors,” said Maj. Denis McGuire of the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre told another news conference.

Crews on a Cormorant helicopter and Hercules aircraft used night-vision goggles to search a vast expanse of ocean overnight but found no sign of those missing.

“Our intent is to go until at least last light,” McGuire said.

“Our goal is to find anyone who may be on the surface.”

A body and one survivor were pulled from the ocean on Thursday morning after the Sikorsky S-92 issued a mayday and ditched southeast of St. John’s.

McGuire corrected times the military had previously released for when the crash happened on Thursday, saying the initial times were off by about 30 minutes. The mayday call was sent at 9:40 a.m. and the helicopter crashed at 9:48 a.m. local time.

Officials said shortly after the crash that a person wearing a survival suit could last about 24 hours in water as cold as the North Atlantic this time of year.

McGuire conceded that the “survivability model” of 24 hours in the water had passed since the crash, but said searchers hadn’t given up hope.

“As the time progresses, obviously it becomes less likely that we’re going to be able to find someone,” he said. “But we’re always optimistic, which is why we extend these searches as long as possible.”

Cunningham said the families of those on the helicopter are being briefed regularly.

“We want to be able to give them, and they want, obviously, as much information as they can get in timely fashion,” he said.

Winds were gusting to about 60 kilometres an hour and sea swells were choppy in the search area.

Everyone on board the chopper owned by Cougar Helicopters would have been required to wear a survival suit that could help them stay alive for an estimated 24 hours.

Jeri Grychowski of the search and rescue centre in Halifax said the sky was clear over the search area, which covered 4,400 square kilometres of ocean.

“That’s good for the aircraft,” said Grychowski. “Swells, well, it moves things around.”

The only known survivor, Robert Decker, was in a St. John’s hospital where he was reportedly being treated for a broken bone and hypothermia. He was listed in critical but stable condition in the hospital’s intensive care unit.

“He is starting to show signs of some recovery, but what’s his status, I’m not too sure,” said Trevor Pritchard, general manager of Husky Oil, operator of the Sea Rose floating production vessel on the White Rose oilfield.

McGuire said they didn’t know how Decker was able to get out of the ditched helicopter.

The helicopter, piloted by two crew members, was carrying 14 workers to Sea Rose and another two to Hibernia when it experienced technical problems.

The sister-in-law of one of the missing, Derrick Mullowney, a steward on the Sea Rose, was in tears as she spoke about the accident.

“We only buried his father about a month ago. His father died on Jan. 30 and now this,” said Sharon Mullowney.

She said Mullowney, who lives in the Bay Bulls area near St. John’s, is 52 and has been working in the offshore for 28 or 29 years.

The helicopter reversed course on its way back to St. John’s but soon fell into the Atlantic eight minutes after issuing a mayday.

Two life-rafts were spotted in the water, but rescuers later confirmed they were empty.

Workers who have made the flight to the offshore platforms — located roughly 350 kilometres east of St. John’s — say they are fully aware of the risk inherent in their jobs.

Perry White, an offshore worker since 1982, said the possibility of a crash enters his mind every time he climbs into one of the helicopters.

“But then again, when you look at fatalities for helicopters and you look at fatalities for cars, you’re more likely to be hit by a bread truck crossing the road,” said Perry, who was supposed to fly out to a rig later Thursday but was home sick with the flu.

“My way of looking at it is, if you let that stuff play on your mind, then you’re not going to be out there at all.”

The survival suits that those on board the chopper were required to wear are equipped with water-activated locator beacons. It was initially believed a number of the beacons had been triggered, but officials later said no signals had been picked up from the suits.

The crew of a Provincial Airlines fixed-wing aircraft spotted the helicopter floating upside down about 10 minutes after it hit the water.

Within 45 minutes, two Cougar helicopters hovered above the crash scene, but the chopper had already sunk.

It was equipped with emergency flotation bags, but Rick Burt of Cougar Helicopters said he didn’t know whether they malfunctioned.

The crash comes three weeks after a British Super Puma helicopter went down near an oilfield in the North Sea. All 18 aboard that chopper managed to survive on two inflatable life rafts.

Burt said the company had grounded all of its helicopters.

The Sikorsky, which can seat about two dozen, was on its way to two of the three production platforms on the Grand Banks.

Burt said the helicopter was a “new generation aircraft” that was no older than four years.

The 90-minute shuttle flights are a regular occurrence at St. John’s International Airport, with rig workers typically working offshore for about three weeks at a time.

As many as seven of the workers on the helicopter are believed to be from communities on the province’s south shore, where an estimated 30 per cent of residents are employed in the offshore.

Bay Bulls Mayor Don Drew said people in the community were trying to find if they know anyone on the downed chopper.

“We’re just basically in limbo,” he said Friday. “We’re trying to find out, both through phone calls, emails, Facebook and everything.

“Everyone is just trying to find out who’s involved, hoping for the best, talking to each other. Everyone is just very sombre and hoping for the best. ... It’s just taking the life out of the area.”

120 metres isn't so bad. AQW was down over 250 metres ... they should call Kevin if they need help

Again, my heart goes out to all involved. Fingers are still crossed.

[ragbagflyer]

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/03/ ... suits.html

Pretty impressive pieces of gear. Interestingly they talk about how people will often unzip the suit to keep a little cooler. I'm not surprised, i'd wondered about that myself. Purely speculation but if it that was the case and the helicopter went down without autorotating I wouldn't be surprised to see a bunch of guys with open suits. I'd probably do the same as you can't really assume the machine is literally going to fall out of the sky, an occurrence which already stacks the odds against you surviving a ditching. A very sad situation all around though.

Survival suits
Last Updated: Friday, March 13, 2009 | 2:22 PM ET Comments0Recommend4CBC News

A Nautilus E452 survival suit made by Helly Hansen Canada Ltd. (Helly Hansen)
A bright orange garment with water-sensitive beacons, the survival suit is designed to give victims those precious extra hours needed for rescue crews to find them.

When a Sikorsky S-92 helicopter ditched in the Atlantic off the coast of Newfoundland Thursday with 18 passengers aboard, all would have been wearing Nautilus E452 suits, made by Helly Hansen.

Such suits are typically sold to oil and gas companies doing exploration work over water, but are also used by the coast guard, military and navy.

The Nautilus suit is outfitted with an inflatable life-jacket that immediately activates in water, said Shawn Amirault, vice-president of sales and marketing for Helly Hansen Canada Ltd.

Other suit features include a breathing system to supply air to the person in emergencies.

The suit is also equipped with a personal locator beacon so rescue crews can quickly locate the individual in the wide expanse of ocean.

In the case of the Sikorsky S-92 helicopter, search and rescue crews reported that no signals were received from the beacons of the 16 missing passengers. One man was pulled alive from the ocean and one body has been recovered.

Experts surmise that the lack of signal may indicate the suits were submerged deep under water.

"It certainly could be depth. It's troubling that there are 16 individuals missing and we haven't heard from a single one of them. So that's one of the … nagging issues out there with the rescue operation right now," said Stephen Cheung, an expert in hypothermia from Brock University, in St. Catharines, Ont.

Cold, heat both pose risks
Cheung, who has trained to survive a ditched helicopter, says it can be "catastrophic" if the seal on the suits break, allowing any water to get in.

That eliminates the suit's ability to keep the person dry, enabling a healthy person in their 30s to survive 24 hours in near freezing water.

"The whole purpose of this is to have an air layer between you and the outside water to keep you as dry and as warm as possible," said Cheung.

Once your body is in contact with water, the water begins conducting heat away from your skin and puts you at risk of hypothermia.

As muscles start shivering to try to stay warm, it becomes increasingly difficult to move your limbs to try to open a flare or even get into a life raft, said Cheung.

Water leaks also decrease the buoyancy of the suit, which can weigh 15 to 20 pounds.

But while the suit is designed to be impenetrable, helicopter passengers can put themselves at risk.

Helicopters can heat up quickly in the sun, causing some passengers to unzip their body suits during the ride.

"It's a natural temptation.… It is like a big fish bowl with the sun blaring in the helicopter, lots of glass. And it can be very, very hot in there," said Cheung.

Cheung is currently working on a project looking at whether heat stress from wearing survival suits can also impair reaction during emergency situations.

[looproll]

they have called off the search

what a stupid headline:

http://www.canada.com/news/hope+finding ... story.html

No hope of finding N.L. crash survivors: Officials

[sky's the limit]

I feel for everyone involved, families, co-workers and those at Cougar, I know Mgt is taking this very hard. A class organization from the top down.


stl

[r22captain]

x2 stl

[Old fella]

X 3. I know some folks at Cougar, they are taking this quite hard. The look on RB's face say's it all!!

[Crobe]

"The Nautilus suit is outfitted with an inflatable life-jacket that immediately activates in water" ????

Can anyone confirm this? That seems to go against everything we know about surviving a ditching. Could this explain why only two have been found so far?

My thoughts and prayers are with the families, friends, and staff at Cougar

[rotorhead350]

I agree as well, VIH/Cougar is a top notch organization.

rh350

[Prairie Chicken]

Code: Select all

 I feel for everyone involved, families, co-workers and those at Cougar, I know Mgt is taking this very hard. A class organization from the top down.

I share the same feelings. The company is very well run and safety is gospel. My heart goes out to all those involved.

[2milefinal]

NTSB ADVISORY
************************************************************
National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594
March 12, 2009
************************************************************
NTSB TO ASSIST WITH INVESTIGATION OF HELICOPTER CRASH OFF
NEWFOUNDLAND COAST
************************************************************
The National Transportation Safety Board is assisting with
the investigation of the crash of a helicopter in the North
Atlantic today.
At 8:25 AM EDT, a Sikorsky S-92A heavy-lift helicopter,
(Canadian registry C-GZCH), operated by Cougar Helicopters,
ditched in the North Atlantic about 31 miles east of St.
Johns, Newfoundland. The accident investigation is being
conducted by the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of
Canada.
NTSB Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker has designated senior
air safety investigator Jim Silliman as the U.S. Accredited
Representative. The U.S. team will also include technical
advisors from the Federal Aviation Administration, Sikorsky
and General Electric.
Information on the progress of the investigation will be
released by the TSB (800-387-3557).
###
Media Contact: Peter Knudson
202-314-6100
peter.knudson@ntsb.gov

[gasper]

CBC radio news (St. John's) saying that the vessel OSPREY, has conducted a sonar sweep and concluded that the bottom is relatively flat in the helicopter crash area. They have also detected an "anomoly" in the area of the crash. They have plans to possibly raise the fuselage (if that's what the anomoly proves to be) on Monday March 16th.

[carholme]

Latest concerning location of the wreckage:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-l ... ml?ref=rss

carholme

[Widow]

At a press conference Saturday afternoon, RCMP Chief Supt. Reg Reeves read out some of the names of those still missing, and a woman who has been confirmed dead:

Peter Breen, 55, St. John's
Gary Corbett, 46, Conception Bay, N.L.
Wade Drake, 42, Fortune, N.L.
Wade Duggan, 32, Witless Bay, N.L.
Colin Henley, 38, St. John's
Ken MacRae, 47, Greenwood, N.S.
Derrick Mullowney, 51, Bay Bulls, N.L.
Burch Nash, 44, Fortune, N.L.
Paul Pike, 49, Shears Town, N.L.
Allison Maher, 26, Aquaforte, N.L. (confirmed deceased)

http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/ ... ntoNewHome

My deepest sympathies to everyone effected. I hope with all my heart that some closure will be achieved through the recovery of the wreckage and its contents.

[Old fella]

I personally know Mike C. from TSB, having worked with him a few years back. A fine person to have as in-charge TSB investigator, he will do his very best and is a no nonsense individual.
Sincere condolences to those families from a portion of NL that I know well, during this difficult time in their lives.

[ahramin]

"The Nautilus suit is outfitted with an inflatable life-jacket that immediately activates in water" ????

Can anyone confirm this? That seems to go against everything we know about surviving a ditching. Could this explain why only two have been found so far?

My thoughts and prayers are with the families, friends, and staff at Cougar

Automatic deployment of inflatable life-jackets is the standard. I am not sure if the HH survival suits have hydrostatic inflation which requires the unit to be a few inches underwater to go off or the ones that just go off when wet. Probably the former.

This is normal, but should not provide more than 40 lbs buoyancy for helicopter applications.

[2R]

It must have been an inflight break up as most controlled landings in water the helicopter does not sink.
The big crash in the chinooks left 45 dead in the north sea.The helicopter had a mid air collision with itself.It was a gearbox issue that they never got resolved and No Civilians would fly in them again.After only two years of operating Boeing Chinooks in the north sea the fleet went from six to three .Three chinooks down in less than two years .
The last Boeing Chinook that went down in a controlled ditching in the north sea stayed afloat long enough for the guys to get out safely .

If this is another gearbox issue someone should kick the gearbox guy in the nuts.

[boeingboy]

It must have been an inflight break up as most controlled landings in water the helicopter does not sink.

That's a pretty bold statement. There are a a lot of controlled water landings where the heli ends up sinking - especially when the waves are fairly high. Besides - who said it was controlled?

Personally IMO - I think the MGB failed either in cruise or as the pilots tried to make a water landing. The decent rate was probably high enough to either severly injure or incapacitate the occupants. Provincail Airlines King air 200 - which is fitted for offshore survalance with High resolution video, still and FLIR cameras - was overhead the scene in 10 min. They had visual contact well before they were overhead and they reported the aircraft was floating upsidedown. I would think if it was a gentle landing and rollover - we would have more than 2 peoploe make it out of the aircraft.

Sadly - I think they will find most still strapped to their seats.

PS - Kicking the Boeing guy is going to do nothing. It's a Sikorsky heli.

[2R]

There were reports of a 4km debris field as well which would mean an inflight event as the water was only three meters swell .Not quite blowing hard enough to create a 4 km debris field that quickly .

[Widow]

More names released:

The victims who have been identified are: First Officer Tim Lanouette, 48, of Comox, B.C.; Thomas Anyll, 46, of Langley, B.C.; Peter Breen, 55, of St. John's; Gary Corbett, 46, of Conception Bay South, N.L.; Wade Drake, 42, of Fortune, N.L., Wade Duggan, 32, of Witless Bay, N.L.; Colin Henley, 38, of St. John's; Ken MacRae, 47, of Greenwood, N.S.; Derrick Mullowney, 51, of Bay Bulls, N.L.; Burch Nash, 44, of Fortune, N.L.; Paul Pike, 49, of Spaniard's Bay, N.L.; and Allison Maher, 26, of Mount Pearl, N.L.

http://www.nationalpost.com/most-popula ... id=1390394

Again, deepest sympathies go out to all affected.