From the inquiry report:
For the interested reader I will give the times of the most significant
events in the search and rescue procedures on March 12, 2009. As best as Inquiry Counsel and I can determine, the correct search and rescue times appear to be
as follows, as taken from Cougar’s evidence:
9:40 a.m. emergency declared by Flight 491
9:45 a.m. Cougar dispatch issues search and rescue alert
to maintenance department
10:34 a.m. Cougar search and rescue helicopter takes off
(49 minutes after reconfiguration alert, 54
minutes after emergency declared)
10:56 a.m. Cougar helicopter arrived at accident scene
(flight time was 22 minutes)
76 minutes total time, declared emergency to arrival at
scene
11:34 a.m. second Cougar helicopter arrives at the accident
scene, freeing first Cougar helicopter to leave
for Health Sciences Centre, St. John’s
11:58 a.m. two DND SAR helicopters arrive at the scene
12:04 p.m. first Cougar helicopter arrives at Health
Sciences Centre, St. John’s
2 hrs. 24 min. total time from declared emergency to delivery
of survivor to hospital, 9:40 a.m. to 12:04 p.m.
but there is this footnote:
When the survivor, Robert Decker, was hoisted on board the first helicopter, it circled the scene for the protection of the rescue technician, who remained in the ocean until he was hoisted by a second helicopter. If the first helicopter had left the rescue technician in the water and returned to St. John’s, a second life would have been at risk.
Why leave the technician in the water and delay the survivors return to medical care? Did the winch fail?