Yet another GoMEX crash

[Hippolite]

Taken from KATC TV3 Lafayette Louisiana

www.katc.com

A passenger was killed and three other people were injured after their helicopter crashed while trying to land on an offshore platform on Friday, officials said.

The Omni Aviation helicopter crashed sometime before 2 p.m. about 40 miles south of Morgan City in the Gulf of Mexico, said Darcy Klug, executive vice president of Omni Aviation.

Klug said the circumstances of the fatality were unclear. He said weather conditions were not ideal, with choppy seas and some gusts.



Looks like 2004 won't have quite as many accidents as 2003 but still a bad year, remember the ERA S76A++ earlier this year? The NTSB has found no mechanical reason for that one so looks like it may be down to the crew again.

Let's hope 2005 will be fatality free in the GoMEX

HH

[SASless]

Did not the FAA take Certificate action against a Gulf Coast operator this year....?

[S92mech]

This is the info I got from an FAA inspector. Omni Energy Services bought American Helicopters and their 135 certificate and operated the former American aircraft on the old 135. The FAA pulled that 135 after an aircraft was crashed due to running out of fuel and there was a post it note on the instrument panel with the fuel level thought to be onboard. After a ramp check of the American Helicopters aircraft, the aircraft were hauled away on trucks. I'm sure there are other versions of this story.


By the way, American Helicopters was some how related to Felton Baker and Houston Helicopters. If you know Felton then this story is all too true.

[SASless]

Ah the infamous Felton Baker....did he not at one time have to step away from Houston Helicopters under duress from the FAA as well?

I can remember with great clarity seeing an engineer with a 206 tail rotor blade in a vice....happily sawing the thing into two pieces. Upon my inquiring just what the heck was he doing or words very similar to that....he replied "By God....this is one unservicable blade Felton ain't gonna get!"

I do not know to exactly what he was referring....but from the look in his eye....he was being very sincere.

[Gomer Pylot]

Yes, Felton had his personal pilot's certificate suspended, and Houston's 135 certificate was suspended for awhile. The feds found an unserviceable crosstube on a 206 and demanded that it be removed. The next day they checked the helicopter, and sure enough it had a different gear, but the condemned gear was found on another ship on the ramp. As I understand it, the 135 certificate was reinstated under the condition that Felton would have nothing to do with the company. His brother-in-law runs another company in the Gulf that charges low rates, and got many of the Houston aircraft. One oil company I remember, now deceased, but formerly referred to as Cheap Cheap Oil & Gas, contracted with Houston to fly the contract production hands, but the corporate folks rented from one of the majors when they flew out.

If I ever lose my job, I'll work as a used car salesman before I'll fly for Houston.

[SASless]

The one thing we have to give to Felton, is he made his business without the support of Bell Helicopters. PHI and the "Patron Saint" of helicopter pilots in the GOM, Bob Suggs, had a very cozy setup with Bell whereas Felton had to do it on his own.

Felton is certainly a character....I love the stories of him showing up after a liquid lunch....firing everyone in the hangar....stumbling off to find a bucket of petrol with the clear intent of burning down the place.....falling asleep in the car while on the search to awaken the next morning wondering where all the hired help was.....then calling around and re-hiring everyone.

A certain BHL contract pilot in Nigeria can shed some light upon Felton and Houston Helicopters....and tells a story of flying an S-76 around the gulf for weeks with a plywood cabin door window while they waited for a new one to replace the one that had been pushed out when he landed in the water momentarily then took off again.

Load'er to the gills....shut the door....slide'er over the edge....and hope she flys before you hit the drink! GOMER Cat A techinque.

[Mars]

Main Rotor Blade Strikes Equipment Being Temporarily Stored on Platform; One Person Dies After Safely Exiting Helicopter

CARENCRO, La., Dec. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- OMNI ENERGY SERVICES CORP. (Nasdaq: OMNI), announced today that one of its Bell 407s crashed around noon on Friday while attempting to land on an offshore platform located at Ship Shoal 130E in the Gulf of Mexico. The helicopter carried a pilot and three passengers. While all persons were able to exit the helicopter, one passenger died as a result of the accident. The exact cause of death has not yet been determined. The pilot sustained serious, but non-life threatening injuries and the remaining two passengers were treated and released with minor injuries.

In a prepared statement, James C. Eckert, OMNI's Chief Executive Officer, stated, "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the passenger who died as a result of this accident. We extend our sympathy to the families, co-workers and friends of all those touched by this loss."

"The National Transportation Safety Board ("NTSB") is investigating the accident. Our internal review of this tragic incident leads us to believe the accident was not the result of a mechanical failure. It appears that on final approach to the designated safe landing area, the main rotor blade of the helicopter struck a piece of equipment temporarily placed on the platform. We intend to cooperate fully with the NTSB and will await the final results of their investigation of the incident," added Eckert.

...

[Av8r]

:confused:

Could you guys in the Gulf maybe give us downunder an idea of the size of all the operations in the GOM, the players the equipment, usual WX and some stats?
I think I read 10,000 pax moved a month ..or year???

Maybe then we can understand why there appears to be a helicopter crash in the Gulf every second week.

Must be an amazing operation...

[SASless]

Well...for starters...most aircraft are single engined with basic IFR instruments. Lots and lots of takeoffs and landings....weight measuring is more by collective and Q meter than scale. Cat A doesn't exist....load'em to the gills and gallop off into the mist. Lots of machines see a mechanic at the weekly crewchange...maybe. The FAA takes a blind eye to what goes on down there....competition is cut throat.....scud running is the norm even for most IFR ops due to communication problems getting clearances, weather and such. The oil companies safety programs are a joke...the operators safety program is even worse. Throw in a large dose of complacency....and you have a recipe for disaster.

A serious study of the accidents and causes would be an interesting thing.....remember the R-44 that went down at night...the series of fuel contamination accidents Air Log had....the rash of crashes PHI had....every operator has had problems at one time or another....it is like they take turns somehow.

Compare that to the North Sea....and you have your answer. There's lots of good hard working folks there...but the infrastructure lets them down.

[Av8r]

..its strange that the oil companies let them get away with it, or do they condone it because it's cheap?
I know here in OZ, the oil companies using helicopters for off shore ops, mostly American interestingly, are VERY pedantic about who, how and why, with a continual stream of safety audits. Most operations, if not all (?) are twin engine, twin crew IFR, in 90% of the time, CAVOK skies. No night ops.
Strange set of double standards. Are the GOM oil companies 'small players' or the big boys doing this?

[Gomer Pylot]

The oil company players range from very small companies up to the very biggest, and pretty much everything in between. All the majors are here. There are something over 5,000 platforms plus a large number of mobile drilling rigs. I can't keep up with all the helicopter companies, but there are probably close to 500/day flying out there. Just the majors, including PHI, Air Log, and ERA (now merged with TexAir) have around 500 ships between them. Sunrise at any of the major bases is something to avoid - lots and lots of helicopters all taking off at the same time, with absolutely no control. It's Class G airspace, and it's every pilot for himself. Once you get away from the bases, it's also every company on its own radio frequency, so you have no idea who's coming or going. And no weather reporting, no radar, no ATC, no nothing. And a good time is had by all.