212 accident offshore Dubai

[monkou]

Can anyone give me an update on the fatal Bell 212 accident offshore Dubai, UAE in the Rashid oil field?:(

[technoprat]

DUBAI (Reuters) - A helicopter crashed off the coast of Dubai on Wednesday killing all seven people on board, the civil aviation authority said on Thursday.

It said the helicopter, which was traveling from Dubai's main international airport to an offshore oil field in the Gulf, was carrying an American, a Briton, a Pakistani, a Filipino, a Venezuelan and two Indians.

"The General Civil Aviation Authority of the United Arab Emirates immediately set up an investigation team to find out the cause of the aircraft crash," it said in a statement.

[CareBear]

My thoughts and condolences to those involved.
I have a lot of good friends working here - hope they are all well.

[spinwing]

Yes ... I have just been told about it.....


A tragedy apparently 9 dead ...cause MAY have been loss of tail rotor/or damage to it on a night takeoff from a platform in the Rashid field.

I have lost another friend and ex workmate ..... RIP C.B.


:(:(:(

[Mars]

Update:

DUBAI (Reuters) - A helicopter crashed into an oil rig off the coast of Dubai on Wednesday killing all seven people on board and forcing the closure of the Rashid oilfield, the civil aviation authority and oil services company said.

The helicopter, which was traveling from Dubai's main international airport to the oilfield around 70 kilometers off the coast of Dubai, crashed onto the deck of the Maersk jack-up drilling rig, they said.

"The aircraft then broke up and fell into the sea," Petrofac, the operator of Dubai government's offshore oilfields, said in a statement.

"Immediately following the incident, a fire broke out on the main deck of the drilling rig which was quickly contained and extinguished... All operations on the Rashid field have been suspended and the platform and drilling rig have been secured."

The helicopter was carrying an American, a Briton, a Pakistani, a Filipino, a Venezuelan and two Indians, none of whom survived, the civil aviation authority said.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known.

"The General Civil Aviation Authority of the United Arab Emirates immediately set up an investigation team to find out the cause of the aircraft crash," it said in a statement.

The United Arab Emirates, a seven-member federation including the Gulf trade and tourism hub of Dubai, is the world's fifth-largest oil exporter.

Over 90 percent of its oil is located in Abu Dhabi and Dubai produces under 100,000 barrels per day, mostly from offshore fields.

(Reporting by Lin Noueihed; editing by James Jukwey)

[paco]

Farewell you guys. It was a real pleasure working with two complete professionals.

Phil

[Lychee]

Any idea who the operator is?

[Demented]

RIP Guys:sad:

[S.M.S]

condolences

[mkorey]

as spinwing has mentioned,i also had the priviledge of knowing and working with c.b, goodbye my friend, my condolences to the families

[Bravo73]

Any idea who the operator is?

Aero Gulf, according to Yahoo News (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/pressass/20080904/tuk-briton-killed-in-gulf-crash-6323e80.html).


RIP.

[Aser]

My condolences to family and friends. :sad:

Aser

[alouette]

Was Dave B. on board?:sad: However, this is very tragic!!!:sad:

[paco]

No, not Dave B - spoke to him this morning.

phil

[alouette]

Thanks, PACO!!!

Does anyone know what happened or does the authority tap in the dark? :sad:

[doddle]

As a colleague and friend, my condolences go out to all at Aerogulf, families and loved ones.
RIP CB.

Dudley

[gulfwatcher]

As a former Aerogulf employee, I would like to extend my heartfelt condolences to the families of the crew, and of the passengers. May they rest in peace.
My thoughts are also with the extended Aerogulf 'family' at this very sad and difficult time.

[offshorepilot]

As a colleague and friend, my condolences go out to their families, friends and the Aergulf Services team. They were professional pilots, I very much loved and enjoyed flying with them.

God bless their souls.

[Chopperlover]

I just heard one of the pilots killed in the crash is Venezuelan. Luis Lovera.

One fine pilot and friend.

May he rest in peace.

:(

[cmwangs]

My sincere condolences to the families and friends left behind.

I did not have the honor of knowing the crew or passengers, but this is our loss as well.

The old saying that these run in three's, makes us even more attentive and careful.

CMW.

[emil011]

Does anybody know the tail number of the helicopter involved in crash?

[outhouse]

My condolences to the families and friends left behind.
It seems the Gulf News showing on the web today seems to have established probable cause, least there staff reporter has.
RIP.
outhouse

[paco]

The tail number was A6-ALV.

For those of you who didn't know Luis, he was a fine representative for Venezuela - a quiet gentleman who loved his family and was good company hopping round the rigs.

phil

[spinwing]

Tail No. .......

I think (?) I was told it was A6-ALV ... but in the shock of everything can't be absolutely sure ... thus stand to be corrected.

Condolences to ALL of the families affected by this tragedy .....

:(:(

[Mama Lolo]

May their souls rest in perfect peace-AMEN.
What a way to go

[BO-105]

May Their Souls Rest In Peace And The Good Lord Console And Give The Ir Families The Fortitude To Bear The Lost 'amen

[monkou]

Any idea on what happened? Can't believe CB would fly into a crane on the Maersk Reliance night or day on Rashid A, been around the traps too long. Was he infact flying A6-ALV ?? Pilot incapacitation/hydraulics failure, tail rotor failure, dick in a crane? Have landed on Rashid A hundreds if not a thousand times night & day. Had a turbine blade fly off myself one day on lift off from Rashid A in a 212. Really interested to find out more but very sad that a good friend and very capable pilot and GM has gone. SAD SAD DAYS:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(

[paco]

I agreee, monkou - Luis was extremely capable as well, and it does seem extremely unlikely unless they were trying to cope with a situation. However, that is pure guesswork on my part and will shut up now.

They wouldn't have been on Rashid A itself, though, as it's not cleared for night landings, if I remember right.

Phil

[gulliBell]

Did the accident aircraft have a CVR or FDR?

[myassisgrass]

According to reports, there were quite a few passengers on board. Are night crew changes a regular occurence in the Gulf?

[monkou]

Night transport offshore Dubai has been a regular event for at least 20 plus years. I flew 500 hours at night in 212s offshore Dubai over a 5 year period. Some nights were easy with a moon & some were a bit like your first solo moon landing but you either sank or swam. Not hard if you followed procedures, used your head and if you had to stick your head out the window to get a real view (huey window curves right & left side so distorts view) you did it. You could also benefit from saying you F'd it up and went round. Some silly ar's would try it downwind and get into power settling and scare the living daylights out of themselves - obviously forgetting to do the basics of what you'd do in daylight like check the windsock!! From what I hear it was possibly crew fatigue after a long annual leave and straight back into a check ride at night on a moonless night in space. It was a take off event I understand and sounds like the back end hit one of the legs. It was a tight deck as I understand it. A real recipe for disaster but no one knows for sure what really happened - we can only guess. Sounds like the water cannons blew burning debri off the deck into the sea.

[TRE52]

Let us not speculate in print. The families already in despair after a thoughtless Gulf News article Friday.

Condolences to the families, AGS staff members, and all others who knew and flew with Chris and Luis over the years.

TRE52

[ineluctable]

I would like to add my condolences. Chris and Luis will be sorely missed. My thoughts are with their families at this time and with the families of the passengers who also lost their lives in this tragedy.

[21stCen]

On behalf of those of us at Aerogulf, please know that your good wishes and condolences during this incredibly difficult time are greatly appreciated. Those who are most devastated by this incredible loss, the families of Chris and Luis, have been made aware of your postings here on PPRuNe and are most grateful. During this worst experience of their lives, they have been truly amazed that their husbands/fathers have touched the lives of so many people literally all around the world as expressed by the hundreds and hundreds of condolences sent to them via phone calls, e-mails, text messages, and personal visits. We have been inundated with the same deluge of incoming messages at Aerogulf relaying the sadness felt by so many people.

We would also like to say thank you to the Aerogulf family who have come together so tightly to help each other out during this incredibly difficult time. This type of tragedy could tear some companies apart, but for us it has brought us all even closer together. They are a group of true professionals at every level who stand on top of a record of over 30 years of operations without a fatal accident until the night of 3 September 2008.

We cannot say much about the accident at this time as the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) is investigating. The GCAA have brought in the U.S. NTSB who have sent over a designated representative with experience in accident investigations and in-depth expertise with Bell helicopters. Nobody knows with certainty the specifics of what happened to cause the crash, but we feel quite certain that we know the contributing factors to the most likely ‘probable cause.’ However, there are still a number of ‘possibilities’ that need to be ruled out. Speculating on our part, or any body else’s, will not be helpful at this time. I can say that all of us who have known Chris and Luis recognize that they are true professionals with extraordinary piloting skills, and we know that based on that knowledge of their abilities the saying that ‘there but for the grace of God go I…’ truly applies in this case. If the scenario that unfolded could have resulted in this tragedy with pilots of their experience and skill level in the cockpit, then it certainly could have happened to ANY of us. And all of us here are completely confident that the outstanding engineers in the maintenance department have not made any mistakes. This accident is like none I have seen or heard of before, and the only good thing that will come of it is the awareness that it will bring to others that may save lives in the future.

Again, all of us at Aerogulf thank you for all of your condolences and concerns. Please keep the families of Chris, Luis and the others lost in your thoughts and prayers…

[helihog]

Only found out last night,
what sad loss, my thoughts and condolences go to the familes of Chris and Luis, and to the passangers of that flight, and to all the Aerogulf staff in Dubai.
During my time with Aerogulf, I flew with both Chris & Luis they will be sadly missed.
Rest In Peace guys

[Mars]

MIA08WA181

On September 3, 2008, at 0023 universal time, a Bell 212, A6-AVL registered to and operated by Aerogulf Services Company LLC, collided with a crane during takeoff from an oil rig in the Persian Gulf. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a visual flight rules flight plan was filed. The helicopter received substantial damage. The airline transport rated pilot-in-command, copilot, and five passengers were killed. The flight was departing from the Resilient Maersk oil rig en-route to another oil rig in the Rashid oil field.

Witnesses stated the helicopter arrived from Dubai, landed towards the front of the helipad, and cargo was off loaded. The helicopter was then observed to lift off the helipad to a hover, turn left 180 degrees, moved rearward, and collide with the crane. The helicopter fell to the deck of the helipad and caught fire.

[alouette]

Don't know the guys, but this is a horrific accident. Condolences from another off-shore pilot:sad:

[Torquelimited]

Chris was one of the best, a pilot's pilot.
It was just this past spring he stated how proud he and the crews at Aerogulf were to continue with their Bell212 operations due to oil company's acknowledgement of their aircraft reliablilty and go to work everyday safety record.

He'll be deeply missed.

God bless

[neal99]

It is strange how quiet our resident commentators are, when many of us started our careers on our own a long way from home.

[monkou]

Toady (Sunday 21st September) at 4pm Dubai time (1200 Z) a memorial service is to be held for Chris Brown at the Christ Church in Jebel Ali, UAE. For those of us all around the world it will be an opportunity to take the time to join in with those folk in Dubai to remember Chris. Special thoughts go out to his family. If you want to send flowers try www.jennyflowers.com (http://www.jennyflowers.com)
[email protected]
they will deliver & are delivering mine.
Tel (9714) 3346222 Fax (9714) 334161 they take Visa/MCard.

Salute to a friend and colleague who will be sadly missed.

[Dubai Gazelle]

The service yesterday for Chris was very emotional for the large number of people who attended. Personal memories were shared by a number of his close friends who all mentioned his wonderful qualities - kindness, wit, graciousness, a true gentleman to mention only a few. His wife Sara gave a very intimate eulogy filled with love, warmth and humour. The choice of music was wonderful - Bouree by Jethro Tull, Time by Hootie and the Blowfish and as Chris made his final farewell - True Companion by Marc Cohn. At that point I don't think there was a dry eye in the congregation.
God Bless Chris, and a safe journey.

[21stCen]

Hi All,
Please be advised that there is a collection being taken up for the families of Chris and Luis. Please be generous if you can, as the families are both in very great need financially having no life insurance policies to fall back on. The collection is being coordinated by one of our pilots, Mike McLeod. He can be reached by e-mail at [email protected] or on his mobile at +971-50-3335964. He has the bank details for the two wives, Sara and Katty, which he can provide so you can send directly to the families.
Thank you very much, your assistance will be greatly appreciated.
Rob

[spinwing]

CRIPES ....

Are you telling us that Aerogulf carries NO life insurance policies at all (as part of their employment package) for any of their workforce?

:eek:

[Troglodita]

Rob,

Spinwing beat me to it.

Confirm that this isn't true in this day & age! Even in the Gulf!

Trog

[Bitmonx]

I would like to thank Aerogulf for the time I spent there (2002 - 2004). My condolences to all family members. Thanks Chris for giving me the chance to fly for you.

No life insurance at Aerogulf? That does not surprise me and I am sure the owners of Aerogulf don't care at all..... I am so glad I don't have to put up with UAE nationals anymore...:yuk:

[21stCen]

Spin/Trog:
Unfortunately it is even worse than just no life insurance. It was a bit of a shock for us all to learn that the Crew Personal Accident insurance (PA) is only a 3 or 4 month lifeline at best, and there was no workman’s compensation provision. Next month when the insurance coverage is to be renewed, we hope we can get approval to get the Crew PA increased by five fold, add a separate high-dollar PA with premiums payable by the company, and get a corporate policy set up to allow corporate rates for those of us who want life insurance that can be kept ongoing after we leave the company. Unfortunately these are all too late for the families of those we lost, so we are digging deep into our own pockets and hope others who can will do the same for them. For anyone out there that has been as blind as we have been not to ask your employer about insurance coverage, now is the time to do it!! Sometimes the mindset of doing everything with ‘safety’ at the forefront and having a long track record without any accidents can give a false sense of security that ‘it will never happen here.’ We learned the hard way, and as I said earlier, if it could happen to these two pilots, it could have happened to any of us.

Bitmonx:
Hi Andre! Thanks for the condolences, I will pass those on to the wives. Glad to hear you are ‘back in the business,’ and hope all is going well for you in Canada. Drop us a PM and let us know how you are doing.

Rob

[Troglodita]

Rob,

Really sorry to hear about your situation! There are probably lots of people in our Industry who need to do some serious checking to see how much cover they really have.

I was absolutely appalled at the level of cover provided by Air Logistics International Ops prior to the "Bristowisation" - it really was not much better than your present situation yet happily (possibly dumbly!) accepted by all.

Trog

[spinwing]

Mmmmm ....

Rob,

Am I also to surmise then that there will also be NO ex-gratia payment to the grieving families by Aerogulf Services particularly in view of the time of year (Ramadan) if for no other reason than to help them recover and resettle?

Oh silly me ..... I have been working in Gulf for so long now you'd think I already know the answer :mad: to that one!

:sad:

[kflexer]

Thanks for that Spinwing
Im sure Rob does not have enough pressure on him as it is, taking control of the company unwillingly and all when he least expected, and doing his best with what he has to work with.
It is not a simple situation here for our new management. Im sure that all will do their best to help the families involved

[John Miller]

If I might help out here. I have tried emailing and calling the number given here to offer some assistance but no response yet.

I would like to offer some space in Mid East Flyer magazine to appeal for help in supporting Chris and Luis' families. I spoke to Chris only hours before his last flight and we had arranged to meet up the following week to chat about the Heli Dubai show. I well understand the emotions of such a sudden loss having been through it myself.

If anyone at Aerogulf would like to contact me, email is: john @ meflyer . com

[21stCen]

Spinwing:
At our level we have made it our absolute highest priority to do everything that we can to get the greatest possible support for the families. We have a list of requests and a number of presenters to show the Board members the serious needs of our families that have lost the futures they had been planning for. They are in desperate need, and we will do whatever we can to help.

Kflexer:
Thanks tremendously for your support, and thanks to all those at Aerogulf who have come together during our worst nightmare. It is difficult for all of us, and it has been amazing to see people work so closely together to help the families and help each other through something we would never have thought possible just a few weeks ago.

John Miller:
Thank you very much for the offer. The wives have said today that they do not wish to accept charity, but their needs are so great to help their children through this devastating event, they have no choice but to accept whatever assistance they can find. We will be grateful for any support you can provide in bringing their situation to those that may be able to help. I’ll send you an e-mail.

[monkou]

Given the tragic circumstances and the fact that no personal life cover was in place and that the company cover is apparently inadequate would it not be worthwhile asking Dubai Petroleum Company, Dugas, Conoco & the numerous other companies that AGS supported over the years for a contirbution? Just a thought as I know there will be a limit as to how much an individual may be able to contribute and at the end of the day it may well be an insufficient amount. As if this tragedy is not enough it is pretty heartwrenching to see the families in such a situation. Perhaps you have these companies on your list of request 21stcentury. AGS does have some responsibility to provide something to the families which I understand has been done but the individual also has a responsibility to their family - a bad situation all round and one we should perhaps take a lesson from. We are not six foot six & bulletproof and history shows us that the fickle finger of fate is no respector of experience.

All the best at this difficult time. No one envies you. Keep up the good work.

[spinwing]

Monkou ....

Hear Hear .... very well said.

:D

[21stCen]

Hi Monkou,
We’ve done that, and perhaps ten-fold over (although Conoco Philips is out of the picture as they have been replaced by DPE/Petrofac since you left here). We will leave no stone unturned when it comes to supporting the families of those that we have lost. Thanks for your interest in those who mean the most to us and need the most support -- the families of Chris and Luis. We are by their sides on a daily basis, and we appreciate your helping us to support bringing in those from any source that can help the families in this time of incredible need.
thanks so much,
Rob

[griffothefog]

Rob,

As Aerogulf has been doing a grand job of promoting Dubai for over 30 years, I hope you have sent a personal letter to "Brand Dubai" himself......:ok:

[malabo]

OK, this may be a little cold, but all this hindsight concern for no life insurance benefits sounds too contrived. Lots of pilots here work as self-employed contractors, or they work for a variety of operators, most of which pay well for work done, and don't pay anything when the collective isn't off the stop. If a pilot is concerned about the welfare of his family should he depart, he takes out his own life insurance policy, if he's concerned about health, his own health insurance, etc, etc, etc. If he wants to roll the dice for himself and his family, he can just stuff the whole pay envelope into his pocket, where he also keeps his good luck charms.

Its a free world, as pilots seeking employment you can choose where you work and match the benefits to your tolerance for risk. Or pay for your own peace of mind, or not. Why wait until a tragedy occurs, then lament the lack of benefits that everyone already knew was not there when they went in?

Benefits cost money, either to the employee to cover himself, or to the employer to provide. What if Aerogulf gave everyone the shopping cart option on benefits, and then the pilots could chose to trade earnings for different benefit levels. How would that be any different than the situation now?

[spinwing]

malabo ...

There are a few extra wrinkles to the situation here to do with Sharia law and the distribution of the family assets after death ...

Wills here have to be probated through a sharia court in order to clear assets in the UAE and that can take time. Bank accounts are frozen all sorts of aggro can occur.

It all puts a family resident here under unecessary stress.

Of course this is rarely found out about untill its too late!

:(

[paco]

The missis was under strict instructions to use the ATM card before she reported anything... :)

Phil

[spinwing]

Mmmmmm ....

Well advised .......

[panamachick]

I just found out today about the crash where Chris lost his life and, I'm speechless and horribly saddened. I'm in tears right now.

Chris Brown was a wonderful man and an AWESOME pilot. His love of flying was only equaled to his love of fishing. As someone stated previously, he was so very kind-hearted. Definately a pilot's pilot. I used to tell people that he could fly circles around a dime. I simply can not believe that this has happened. He was just SOOOO GOOD at flying. He was THE BEST!

My deepest and most sincere condolences go out to his wife Sara. She had the opportunity of sharing many good years with a great guy. Sara, find comfort in knowing that one day, you and Chris will be together again in the House of Our Heavenly Father.

RIP Chris - you did it your way, papi!

[technoprat]

Today is the second anniversary of this crash.

Has an accident report ever been published ?
Was an investigation carried out ?

[MS29513-017]

Incident / Accident Investigation Report (http://www.gcaa.ae/en/ePublication/admin/iradmin/Lists/Incidents%20Investigation%20Reports/Attachments/6/2008-Final%20Report%20Bell%20212%20-%20A6-ALV.pdf)

[Helicopter doctor]

An O ring beat me to it but here it is again.......

http://www.gcaa.ae/en/ePublication/admin/iradmin/Lists/Incidents%20Investigation%20Reports/Attachments/6/2008-Final%20Report%20Bell%20212%20-%20A6-ALV.pdf

[chopper reid]

I don't believe for a minute that Chris B. would have allowed the a/c to move that far aft, the crane they hit was 50m behind them!

RIP Chris, it was a pleasure working with you.

[spinwing]

Mmmmm ....


And I ... would have to agree with the above post .... the Chris Brown I knew would NEVER have let it go 5' backwards let alone 50m.


:= := :=

[griffothefog]

How convenient......... pilot error (no national in the front on this one) :{

From what I know of these parts.... :mad:

[LebanesePilot]

May they Rest In Peace.. Pilot mistakes are always possible no matter how good a pilot is..

[paco]

"Pilot mistakes are always possible no matter how good a pilot is.. "

True, but highly unlikely in this case, and let's not forget Luis, who, apart from being a nice guy was also a Mr Safety. If it was anything like that, it would rather be "the Human Factor" than "Pilot Error".

Uncommanded cyclic movements due to failed tarsyns are not impossible, neither are failed artificial horizons, and this is no reflection on the maintenance dept at Aerogulf, who are second to none, IMHO. They do an outstanding job.

Phil

[sox6]

Surely old 212s offshore at night is not smart.

[griffothefog]

Sox,

You said it brother....:D

A very nearby operator used to send un-stabilised 212's offshore at night :eek:

FcUking bean counters :ugh:

[Shell Management]

But Aerogulf are a Shell approved operator with the necessary Safety Case and SMS!

[spinwing]

Mmmm ......



....A very nearby operator used to send un-stabilised 212's offshore at night ...


Any one I would know ?? :*

[212man]

I'm guessing SASless would know........;)

Surely old 212s offshore at night is not smart

How does this relate to the accident in question? During the hover and take-off phase the 212 is as stable as most types out there, I'd say. Or, are you suggesting the risk of a pitch trim actuator runaway is greater on am old type?

[sox6]

212man:- It certainly is an aging airframe which must make the chance of a system failure greater. I take it Aerogulf would not be doing routine night flights with passengers in 212s.

Smell Management:- I very much doubt Shell would use Aerogulf or that they had the sort of safety management of a 'major' helicopter operator. From what I recall at the time even life insurance wasn't apparently in place.

[spinwing]

Mmmm ....

Actually .... that is exactly what Griffo and myself were alluding too .... that in fact UAE operators WERE sending 212s regularly offshore at night! (and some were unstabilised VFR machines AND in the UAE there is NO such thing as NGT VFR ... sort off!).

Happily Aerogulf are now about to put AW139s into service and the other operator has seen the light and no longer uses the 212 offshore (much!).


:eek:

[js0987]

Ah! Night flights in an unstabalized 212. Single pilot with an engineer along for the ride. Taking off and landing in the Zakum field with the engineer holding the log book to shield your eyes from the flares. Ah - the good old days.

[griffothefog]

js0,

That would be the good old day's when there was never a recorded over torque on winch moves, single pilot...:E

Funny, when we went 2 crew, there were many...:{

[technoprat]

Thanks for posting the report.
The fact that they did one at all is a positive step.

[paco]

"Surely old 212s offshore at night is not smart"

I've flown a lot worse at night, landing on crossed headlights and all.... I don't see much wrong with using the 212 for that, if the rest of the system is OK - at least the tail doesn't fall off. And, of course, if there is no evidence of equipment failure, it can't be included in the report.

Just to set the record straight, Aerogulf tried to get the customer concerned to use the 412 in 1993, and Bell even loaned them the machine for the demo, but the customer simply didn't want to pay for it. Now, of course, they're very happy to upgrade. Funny that. And to put things in perspective, I believe that was their only loss in over 30 years of operation - better than an airline, I think.

Phil

[212man]

Yes, I agree with Phil - there is nothing intrinsically bad about flying a 212 at night. Other concerns that may exist are equally valid in daytime too. The 212 is a damn sight easier to fly offshore landings and takeoffs than the 76, for example!

Off topic, but they use a strange set of ATA numbers when referring to the deferred defects - anyone know why? AFCS should be ATA-22 and GPS should be ATA-34, surely?

[sox6]

PACO

But probably one loss per 100k hours.

Pretty low spec 212s too. No CV/FDR, HUMS etc.

[griffothefog]

212man,

I also like the 212 as a basic VFR platform, but without an autopilot at night offshore? :=

I agree with you on the S76 though. I used to operate the "A" model on the North Sea and the distorted glass on the side windows, steamed up for good measure, was a disaster waiting to happen :eek:

G'luck.

[paco]

As it happens, all the 212s at Aerogulf have either a SCAS or a Sperry or Bell autopilot, except perhaps LX, but that's not used at night anyway. Night flying is done with 2 pilots as well, and the machines are fully IFR equipped - luxury! :)

Not sure that a machine with no CVR and FDR is necessarily low spec in view of the above.

Phil

[abcdefghijklm]

For some reason i stumbled onto this thread today and felt compelled to join up just to post this letter. I was involved in the firefighting and aftermath of the crash that night, and it never leaves your mind fully.There is never a day goes by that in some small way reminds you of that time.The rig crews performed bravely , with decks full of jet fuel, burning wreckage, gas bottles, ammunition for well perforation in proximity and huge diesel tanks directly underneath the main fire. I want to say , that without the need for instruction every body that we could get was retreived and treated with respect and compassion, i didnt know the religions of the dead or gender, age or colour ....it didnt matter, each received a prayer in the hope that they passed on fully.The tail rotor was hanging over one person , and the gearbox had taken another....but with no thought of risk to themselves , a few crew members removed the gearbox, and worked under the rotor because they felt it was respectful and the right thing to do ....we all thought that. The way the situation was handled in the cold daylight afterwards by some authourities was...shamefull and sickening., The end result is , 2years on and for those that care, it could of been yesterday.

may god make them whole again

[technoprat]

Quote "The way the situation was handled in the cold daylight afterwards by some authourities was...shamefull and sickening".

Im in total agreement, Im just surprised the report made it into print at all.

[paco]

Thank you for that a-m!

Phil

[GaboEduarDuran]

Greetings! Excuse me, I'm really hoping that someone would read this. I know it's been a very long time, let me introduce myself, my name is Gabriel Duran. Right now I'm 21 years old, and I am studying in Simón Bolívar University of Venezuela. Same University as Mr. Luis Lovera's older son, Luis Miguel Lovera. I met him there about 2 years ago. Someday, coming back home from college, He told me that when he was a child, he used to live in Dubai because his father used to work there as a pilot, and then he told me about his father's tragic history. So, right now, he is living here in Venezuela with his mom and his 2 younger siblings. He told me that I was the first person at college that he told that. It's easily the most heart-touching story I've ever heard from a close friend... enough to make anyone cry. Of course I believed him, but I was definitely not going to ask him for more details about it, so I had to search by myself in the internet for some information. So... 2 years have passed, and this is the second time I've read this forum, and I am still completely shocked. In fact, Luis Miguel knows about this forum too, but didn't want to talk much about it, but he is very thankful for all your kind messages. The thing is that we both know that there might be people here that maybe have known or worked with Mr. Lovera, or even been friends with him.

Well, it's well known that living in the recent years in Venezuela has not been easy, and for Mr. Lovera's family, must have been emotionally and economically much harder. So, I must say that Luis is my best friend, he is one of the kindest, respectful and noble person I've ever known, and I am really happy and grateful to have a friend like him. Now he is a 25-year-old grown man, he is studying Mechanical Engineering Technology. Also, he became a Volunteer Firefighter of the university. At this moment, he has finished all his career subjects. Of course I am so, so much proud of him. Right now, he is on the industry internship program, If everything would have continued normally, he would have 3 weeks left to finish the internships, and around September, he should be in his graduation ceremony. but, due to the recent pandemic for COVID-19, everything stopped for the moment.

So, I think I got a nice idea. With all the respect in the world, with the respect that I have for Luis Miguel and with the respect for his father's memory, I would like to ask you, the people who used to know Mr. Luis, for a kind of favor to make a kind gesture for his son. I know that maybe we all are going through hard times, so I'm just going to ask you for what your heart says. Maybe some words, maybe a dedicatory, maybe a story or a picture of his father, maybe a gift, I mean any kind of gesture would be so much appreciated. As a matter of fact, Luis Miguel have told me that his father was the person he have trusted and loved the most. So when graduation day comes, I'll show him all your support, so he somehow feels that his father's love and pride are present. I don't know, I just feel it that way, please let me know what you think.

At this time, I don't have a photo of Mr. Luis. But I know that those of you who used to know him will immediately recognize that Luis Miguel is his son when you see him. I will put his social networks profiles in this post. Thank you very much for your time if you read all this. I will post the graduation date when I know it. Please let me know what you think about all this and if you'd like to contact me I will leave my social networks:

Facebook: GaboEduarDuran
Twitter.com: GaboEduarDuran
Instagram: gaboeduarduran

And Of course, Luis Miguel's profiles:

Facebook: Luismig.lovera
Instagram: luismig12

... May the Lord always bless Mr. Luis Lovera and his family.