Lafayette Daily Advertiser
Crews recover last victim of helicopter crash
June 29, 2004
LAFAYETTE
— Search crews on Monday recovered the body of John Lewis, 50, a Lafayette oil platform worker who was on board an Omni Bell helicopter that crashed in the Vermilion Bay last week.
The bodies of the helicopter’s pilot, Dan Ditwlier, 51, of Tennessee, and passenger, Kel “Tony” Thibodeaux, 39, of Abbeville were found Saturday night.
Lewis’ body was recovered on shore at around 3 p.m. about a mile from the crash site, said Sgt. Ronald Peltier with the Marine division of the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Crews from Acadia Parish, Calcasieu Parish, and Iberia Parish assisted the Sheriff’s Office, Peltier said. Their day began at 6 a.m. and didn’t end until 5 p.m.
“It was a successful search. We found Mr. Lewis, which was my main objective, to set his family at peace so they can put him to rest,” Peltier said.
The search will continue Tuesday to recover pieces of the helicopter still under water, including the transmission and rotary blades, to help investigators determine the cause of the crash. Peltier said he expected the recovery work to be completed Tuesday.
The U.S. Coast Guard and Omni Energy Services, which owned the helicopter, also aided in the search for the victims and the craft.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash. Representatives from Bell helicopters, Rolls Royce engines and the Federal Aviation Administration are also involved in the investigation, said Hector Casanova, National Transportation Safety Board regional director.
“They’ll be documenting the conditions of the wreckage ... and reviewing the maintenance records for the aircraft,” Casanova said.
The craft lifted off from Eugene Island at 12:58 p.m. Thursday June 24 for Abbeville, but changed its course and headed toward Intracoastal City at 1:37 p.m., according to the Coast Guard. At 1:50 p.m., a distress call was issued.
At the time the area experienced heavy rains, but Casanova wouldn’t say that weather was a factor in the accident. Weather data from within 50 miles of the accident site have been requested and will be analyzed, Casanova said. The last known location of the craft was about 70 miles south of Intracoastal City.
The Gulf of Mexico is considered a busy airspace, and some areas lack air traffic control, according to the Coast Guard.
In March, 10 men, three from Acadiana, were aboard a Sikorsky S-76A helicopter that went down off the coast of Texas. Killed were Jason Petitjean, 34 and Trampas Terwillegar, 27, both of Rayne; and Craig Bailey, 43, of St. Martinville.
Casanova estimated that the National Transportation and Safety Board investigates about 10 helicopter crashes a year in the Gulf of Mexico.