Many prayers!
Helicopter crashes in Terrebonne, seven dead
One hospitalized, another missing
By MATTHEW PLEASANT/Staff Writer Published: Sunday, January 4, 2009 at 6:07 p.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, January 4, 2009 at 7:25 p.m.
HOUMA – Seven people died in a helicopter crash this afternoon in a marshy area near Bayou Penchant in western Terrebonne Parish, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
The helicopter, owned by the Lafayette-based Petroleum Helicopters Inc., was carrying nine passengers. One was sent to Terrebonne General Medical Center and another remains missing.
The helicopter’s operator sent a distress signal at 3 p.m., said Jaclyn Young, a Coast Guard spokeswoman.
The U.S. Air Force Rescue Coordination Center in Virgina picked up the signal and alerted the Coast Guard station in New Orleans, she said.
Officials aren’t yet sure what caused the crash. The Terrebonne Sheriff’s Office Water Patrol is searching waters and marsh near Bayou Penchant, in the far western end of the parish and a Coast Guard helicopter is assisting as well. Officers are also using an airboat to aid their search, said Maj. Thomas Odom, water patrol commander.
Allen Boudreax Sr. of Franklinton said he was notified by PHI that his son, 23-year-old Allen Jr., was on board the helicopter when it went down. He had not been advised of his son's status, however.
Boudreaux Jr. is a welder and fitter for Dynamic Industries, and was en route to a job site when the wreck occurred, his father said.