A helicopter crash last month in the Gulf of Mexico in which the pilot died may have happened because officials did not properly signal that a landing pad was closed, according to a preliminary federal report.
The pilot, Arturo Lebron, of Lafayette hit the framework over an oil well, which was encroaching over the landing pad on the rig, about 35 miles off the coast of Grand Isle, the National Transportation Safety Board said. Witnesses who saw Lebron landing tried to wave him off, but he crashed and drowned after he seemed to be trying to back off.
Lebron was the only person in the aircraft, officials have said.
Officials are required to mark a helicopter landing pad with a red “X” if it is obstructed. The company that owns the oil rig, Bermuda-based Energy XXI, should have done this before the March 28 crash, said Charles Bourque, aviation attorney and former helicopter pilot.
“This accident wouldn’t have occurred if Energy XXI had painted a red ‘X’ on the helipad,” which could be the basis for legal liability, Bourque said.
The landing pad has since been marked with an “X,” the report says.
Report: Lack of protocol may have caused copter crash | DailyComet.com