View Full Version : Malaysian chopper crashes, pilot missing
G'day All,
More bad news I'm afraid,
Malaysian chopper crashes, pilot missing
From correspondents in Kuala Lumpur
November 05, 2006 08:35pm
A MALAYSIAN helicopter headed for an oil platform with 21 people on board crashed off the coast of the northeastern state of Terengganu, police and state media said today.
Twenty people, including 19 oil rig workers and the co-pilot, were rescued but the 48-year-old pilot was still missing.
Terengganu state police chief Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said the helicopter was thought to have experienced technical problems and crash-landed about 200m from a platform belonging to US oil giant ExxonMobil.
“The colleagues of the workers on the platform realised what had happened and immediately launched a rescue operation,” he was quoted as saying by the national Bernama news agency.
The crash occurred in the early afternoon some 113 nautical miles from the coastal town of Dungun, a local police officer said.
“Thirteen passengers were injured,” the officer said.
Three of the workers are believed to have been flown to a hospital in the state's capital of Kuala Terengganu, said Bernama.
Mr Acryl said Malaysia's Maritime Enforcement Agency was searching for the pilot.
Source: http://www.news.com.au/sundayheraldsun/story/0,21985,20705915-5005961,00.html
MPT
Cyclic Hotline
5th Nov 2006, 10:17
Helicopter crashes in sea, 20 survive, pilot missing
KUALA LUMPUR: A helicopter carrying 21 people crashed Sunday near an offshore Malaysian oil rig, but all its occupants except a pilot were rescued, police said.
The Super Puma helicopter was carrying ExxonMobil employees when it went down while flying to an oil rig in the South China Sea, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) off northeastern Malaysia, said Terengganu state police chief Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani.
Twenty people were rescued by rig workers who witnessed the crash some 200 meters (650 feet) from their platform, but a co-pilot remained missing, Acryl Sani told The Associated Press by telephone.
"We have not confirmed whether the incident was caused by bad weather or technical problems with the helicopter,'' Acryl Sani said.
Three of the injured were being flown to a Terengganu hospital, he said.
Police have not confirmed whether all the passengers were Malaysian, Acryl Sani said.
Staff contacted at ExxonMobil's office in Terengganu said they did not immediately have details on the crash. - AP
Cyclic Hotline
5th Nov 2006, 18:02
Condolences to all at MHS.
ExxonMobil Stops Using Super Puma Following Crash
KUALA TERENGGANU, Nov 6 (Bernama) -- ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Malaysia Inc (EMEPMI) will temporarily stop using Super Puma helicopters for its operations after the one it chartered crashed off the coast of Terengganu Sunday.
"(We will stop chartering) all Super Puma used for (our) operations in Malaysia until further notice," the company said in a statement issued in Kuala Lumpur Sunday.
ExxonMobil chartered the Super Puma helicopters for its business operations in Malaysia from Malaysian Helicopter Services Aviation Bhd (MHS Aviation Bhd).
One of the helicopters used by ExxonMobil, with 21 people on board, crashed into the South China Sea some 103 nautical miles off Dungun beach in Terengganu at 11.45am Sunday.
The pilot identified as Captain Mohd Salleh Teguh is still missing while 19 passengers and a co-pilot have been warded at Kuala Terengganu Hospital. Their conditions were reportedly stable.
ExxonMobil said the Department of Civil Aviation and Maritime Department were leading the search and rescue effort for the missing pilot.
"We are doing everything possible to assist the impacted individuals and their families during this difficult time and our thoughts and prayers are with them," ExxonMobil E&P Malaysia Inc chairman Liam M Mallon said.
ExxonMobil said 10 of the crash victims, including the missing pilot, were Sarku Engineering and Services Sdn Bhd employees and six were employees of Sime Darby Engineering.
The rest were employees of ExxonMobil (1), Dowell Schlumberger Sdn Bhd (1), SAAG Drilling & Well Services Sdn Bhd (1) and MHS Aviation Bhd (1).
pumaboy
5th Nov 2006, 18:09
Are thoughts are with the pilot's families
What type of Super Puma was involved in today's accident?
Was it an L1 or L2 and was thier any indication of Technical problem's with the machine.
This is a very sad day.
Ned-Air2Air
5th Nov 2006, 18:21
Rahmat - Our thoughts are with you and the rest of MHS. :sad: :sad:
Ned
rotorspin
5th Nov 2006, 20:51
:( a very sad day indeed - god bless all those involved
Hippolite
6th Nov 2006, 09:22
It was an AS332L2 according to my sources
See press release from ExxonMobil below:
KUALA LUMPUR, November 5 -- We regret to inform that at approximately 11:45 a.m. on November 5, an MHS Aviation Berhad helicopter chartered by ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Malaysia Inc. (EMEPMI), with 21 people onboard went down in the water while approaching Tapis B platform. The platform is located about 240 km off the coast of Terengganu.
Twenty of those onboard have been rescued and are being treated onboard Tapis B platform and at Kuala Terengganu Hospital. One remaining person is unaccounted for, and search and rescue operations are continuing using all available resources.
EMEPMI, MHS and the affected EMEPMI contractors are contacting the immediate families of the affected passengers. Until notification is made, it is premature to release their names.
Dedicated communication lines at 03-2380-3677/3679/3675/3635 have been set-up to respond to any queries from family members and interested parties.
We will provide more information as they become available.
# # #
About ExxonMobil in Malaysia
The ExxonMobil Subsidiaries in Malaysia are a group of companies, which have business activities ranging from upstream exploration and production of oil and gas to the refining and marketing of petroleum products. In the upstream, ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Malaysia Inc. is one of the major crude oil producers and suppliers of natural gas to Malaysia. Daily crude oil production is about 150,000 barrels of oil a day while daily gas production is 1 billion cubic feet a day. In the downstream, three ExxonMobil subsidiaries, Esso Malaysia Berhad, ExxonMobil Malaysia Sdn Bhd and ExxonMobil Borneo Sdn Bhd operate a network of 570 service stations throughout Malaysia. Esso Malaysia Berhad also operates an 88,000 barrel a day refinery in Port Dickson.
- ends -
Sadly according to the state newsagency
KUALA TERENGGANU, Nov 7 (Bernama) -- The body of the pilot of MHS Aviation Services-owned Super Puma helicopter, which crashed last Sunday in the South China Sea, 103 nautical miles off Dungun, Terengganu, was found at 5am Tuesday, said Department of Civil Aviation director Datuk Ir Kok Soo Chon.
http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/state_news/news.php?id=228235&cat=et
From another forum...
A very sad day here. The Captain was an experienced and very popular pilot by all accounts. His body was found earlier today. Initial survivor accounts indicate that the aircraft hit the water while overshooting from an NDB/ARA in bad weather. It broke in half where the tail connects to the body and the majority of the passengers escaped through the hole this created. Eurocopter are on scene and until the FDR is recovered will not comment on any technical issues. The floats were not activated and the aircraft sank very quickly. I'll post more when it is released locally rather than speculate.
My condolences.:(
Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't this the fatal for an AS332 L2 version?
Ned-Air2Air
8th Nov 2006, 04:34
http://www.helitorque.com/albums/offshore/ags.jpg