Originally Posted by
grizzled
If that part turns out to be true the Baton Rouge police department is (rightfully) in for HUGE problems. It infers no reliable method or SOP re flight following, which, nowadays, is unthinkable and unforgiveable.
(A recent helo accident in Canada comes to mind wherein the pilot and pax were not found for many hours for similar reasons. And at least one of those people lived for several hours, then died due to the delay in SAR.)
Damn...
I agree that is shocking! It reminds me immediately of this accident (
http://www.aaiu.ie/sites/default/fil...T_1998_008.PDF) 26 years ago, where the report says:
At 08.20 hrs on the next day, 13 December 1996, the CAA Examiner, who was to perform the Instrument Rating Test with the PNF, arrived at the handling agent's facility at Aldergrove and found that the helicopter had not arrived. Initially ATC were unable to contact the company of the operator, and checks were made at local hotels and other airfields to see if they had knowledge of the helicopter. At 09.00 hrs the owner's company was contacted and they stated that the helicopter was on its way to Aldergrove. When it had not arrived by 09.35 hrs, the Examiner contacted Aldergrove ATC who replied that their last contact with G-HAUG was the previous evening at approximately 18.13 hrs; due to the previous report that the helicopter was on its way to Aldergrove, they had ceased to be concerned. At this point the owner's company reported that the pilots' beds had not been slept in and over-due action was initiated.