Originally Posted by
ApolloHeli
The floats were not the issue. Yes, one inflated more slowly than the other so the helicopter rolled inverted as a result, but this is quite common for a power-off ditching (helicopters rolling inverted) - there is a reason HUET required escaping an inverted helicopter. The fundamental issue was the policy of tethering passengers with anchor points behind their backs, without providing the training or the means to quickly release the tether and evacuate the aircraft in an emergency.
Not quite. The floats were an issue as they only partially inflated, as the second bottle was not activated, not completely filling the bags and caused it to roll. So quite a large factor. I question the statement for rolling over as a norm. This was dead calm waters, not the open ocean where there is significant waves.
However the root cause of that accident can be traced back to the managements decition to offer these rides in the manner they did and for not putting enough barriers in place. Alcohol was an issue, not secured Fuel Shut Off lever/choice of helicopter, choice of harness, etc..
A HUET-course wouldn’t have saved those.