This morning's Lafayette Daily Advertiser reports
Helicopter crash kills PHI pilot
LAFAYETTE
— A Petroleum Helicopters Inc. aircraft crashed into the Gulf of Mexico off of the Texas coast Monday morning, killing the pilot.
Wreckage from the Bell 407 was found about 70 miles southwest of Galveston, according to a brief statement issued by the company late Monday.
The pilot, who was the only person aboard, was not identified, pending notification of next of kin.
“A distress call was received from the aircraft at 8:21 a.m., and PHI immediately launched a search, which was joined by the Coast Guard,” according to the statement released by Ed Gatza, field human relations manager for PHI.
Coast Guard aircraft from Houston and Corpus Christi responded to the call.
Gatza said that the aircraft wreckage and pilot’s body were recovered at 1 p.m.
Chief Petty Officer Jeff Murphy of the 8th District Coast Guard said that the aircraft apparently went down about 60 miles south of Sabine, Texas, when the helicopter was returning from High Island Block 573.
The National Transportation Safety Board will lead an investigation into the cause of the crash, which is the fourth fatal helicopter incident in the Gulf this year.
According to NTSB reports:
Three people were killed when a Bell 206-L-3 operated by PHI crashed Oct. 10 while maneuvering near a platform at West Cameron 509.
Three died when a Bell 206-L-3 operated by PHI struck a platform and fell into the Gulf while taking off from Eugene Island 276 on Aug. 13.
One person was killed when the rotor from a Bell 407 operated by PHI struck a passenger during a refueling operation at High Island 44.
One person died when a Bell 206-L-1 operated by Air Logistics Inc. struck a platform 14 miles north of Venice.