PHI helicopter down in GoM
PPRuNe Time
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PHI helicopter missing
Coast Guard searches for missing helicopter
The Associated Press
10/10/03 7:21 PM
CAMERON, La. (AP) -- A helicopter with three men on board is missing after it lost contact on its way to an offshore oil platform Friday morning, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
The Petroleum Helicopters Inc. pilot did not "verbally close the flight plan" after telling ground control that he was on his way to an oil rig about 80 miles south of Cameron, said Ed Gatza, a manager of field human resources at PHI.
PHI reported the helicopter missing at about 11:30 a.m. to the Coast Guard. Gatza said two offshore workers and a pilot were on the helicopter. Gatza said their next of kin was being notified, and he would not release the men's names.
The Coast Guard sent a helicopter crew from its air station in Houston and a jet crew from its Aviation Training Center in Mobile, Ala., to look for the missing helicopter.
By late Friday, 30 knot winds, clear skies and 5 to 6 foot seas were recorded in the search area, said Petty Officer Andrew Kendrick of the Houston air station. It was not clear what the conditions were like when the helicopter was reported missing.
"We don't know if they've gone done or not, but we're taking every precaution. It's not usual to lose communication," Kendrick said.
Petty Officer Jonathan McCool, a spokesman for the Coast Guard, said the Coast Guard will continue to search as long as necessary.
Source
The Associated Press
10/10/03 7:21 PM
CAMERON, La. (AP) -- A helicopter with three men on board is missing after it lost contact on its way to an offshore oil platform Friday morning, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
The Petroleum Helicopters Inc. pilot did not "verbally close the flight plan" after telling ground control that he was on his way to an oil rig about 80 miles south of Cameron, said Ed Gatza, a manager of field human resources at PHI.
PHI reported the helicopter missing at about 11:30 a.m. to the Coast Guard. Gatza said two offshore workers and a pilot were on the helicopter. Gatza said their next of kin was being notified, and he would not release the men's names.
The Coast Guard sent a helicopter crew from its air station in Houston and a jet crew from its Aviation Training Center in Mobile, Ala., to look for the missing helicopter.
By late Friday, 30 knot winds, clear skies and 5 to 6 foot seas were recorded in the search area, said Petty Officer Andrew Kendrick of the Houston air station. It was not clear what the conditions were like when the helicopter was reported missing.
"We don't know if they've gone done or not, but we're taking every precaution. It's not usual to lose communication," Kendrick said.
Petty Officer Jonathan McCool, a spokesman for the Coast Guard, said the Coast Guard will continue to search as long as necessary.
Source
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The Lafayette Daily Advertiser
Louisiana
October 11, 2003
Louisiana
October 11, 2003
LAFAYETTE
— A sea and air search for a missing helicopter with oil company employees aboard continued through the night Friday and will keep going around the clock, said a spokesman for the U.S. Coast Guard in New Orleans.
“We’ll continue as long as we think we can find survivors,” said Lt. Steve Cory. “It will depend on weather conditions and water temperature.”
Bad weather may have caused problems for the mid-sized Bell 206 helicopter, which was about 80 miles south of Cameron when it was reported missing, en route from one platform to another about 80 miles away, Cory said. The helicopter is owned by Petroleum Helicopters Inc. of Lafayette.
“At the time they were trying to land, a squall line and heavy rain came through that area,” he said. Cory said the pilot, a PHI employee, last made contact with PHI headquarters at about 10:15 a.m. Friday as he was about to land.
“He reported that he was landing on an oil platform, but never actually landed on it,” Cory said.
PHI notified the Coast Guard at 11:30 a.m.
The three people aboard were the pilot and two oil company employees who were being taken to the second platform. None has been identified by the Coast Guard or PHI.
The search has escalated since it first began Friday afternoon, Cory said. In addition to a Coast Guard helicopter crew from Houston and a jet crew from Mobile Ala., by Friday evening a second jet crew was dispatched from Corpus Christi, Texas, as well as the Heron, a Coast Guard cutter from Galveston, Texas.
Ed Gatza, PHI’s manager of field human resources, said his company is also looking for the missing helicopter.
“PHI has a couple of boats searching with sonar,” he said, trying to locate emissions from the helicopter’s emergency transmitter.
“We’ll continue as long as we think we can find survivors,” said Lt. Steve Cory. “It will depend on weather conditions and water temperature.”
Bad weather may have caused problems for the mid-sized Bell 206 helicopter, which was about 80 miles south of Cameron when it was reported missing, en route from one platform to another about 80 miles away, Cory said. The helicopter is owned by Petroleum Helicopters Inc. of Lafayette.
“At the time they were trying to land, a squall line and heavy rain came through that area,” he said. Cory said the pilot, a PHI employee, last made contact with PHI headquarters at about 10:15 a.m. Friday as he was about to land.
“He reported that he was landing on an oil platform, but never actually landed on it,” Cory said.
PHI notified the Coast Guard at 11:30 a.m.
The three people aboard were the pilot and two oil company employees who were being taken to the second platform. None has been identified by the Coast Guard or PHI.
The search has escalated since it first began Friday afternoon, Cory said. In addition to a Coast Guard helicopter crew from Houston and a jet crew from Mobile Ala., by Friday evening a second jet crew was dispatched from Corpus Christi, Texas, as well as the Heron, a Coast Guard cutter from Galveston, Texas.
Ed Gatza, PHI’s manager of field human resources, said his company is also looking for the missing helicopter.
“PHI has a couple of boats searching with sonar,” he said, trying to locate emissions from the helicopter’s emergency transmitter.
Last edited by Heliport; 11th Oct 2003 at 17:03.
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Hope it works out. Having been through that area in bad weather I can say I am not envious.
I guess thats why those companies want you to have an Instrument Rating. So you can fly VFR equipped aircraft beyond VFR conditions.
I guess thats why those companies want you to have an Instrument Rating. So you can fly VFR equipped aircraft beyond VFR conditions.
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The weather was bad in the WC area yesterday, there was a large area of heavy rain which moved in during the morning.
Most of the GOM operators do, as B Sousa says, require instrument ratings but NOT so that pilots can knowingly fly into bad weather.
Weather minimums are strictly enforced and it just may be that the pilot of this aircraft got caught and couldn't get out. Both Airlog and PHI pilots are trained in inadvertant IMC using both the aircraft and simulators.
LE
Most of the GOM operators do, as B Sousa says, require instrument ratings but NOT so that pilots can knowingly fly into bad weather.
Weather minimums are strictly enforced and it just may be that the pilot of this aircraft got caught and couldn't get out. Both Airlog and PHI pilots are trained in inadvertant IMC using both the aircraft and simulators.
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Does anyone know how many accidents there have been in the GOM this year so far - it certainly seems to be more than one a month.
Surely now is the time for companies (both oil and operating) to institute an adverse weather policy. Why is there one in the North Sea and not (yet) one in the GOM?
Have the pilots no voice or is it that they enjoy the thrills and spills of this particular ride.
Surely now is the time for companies (both oil and operating) to institute an adverse weather policy. Why is there one in the North Sea and not (yet) one in the GOM?
Have the pilots no voice or is it that they enjoy the thrills and spills of this particular ride.
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In the GOM, things are run by the dispatchers & field foremen. Their only interest is in getting things done quickly and cheaply. The standard scenario is for the dispatcher or foreman to push the pilots to fly no matter what, and only back down if the pilots firmly refuse. They don't consider the possibility of an accident, they just want to get the flights done as soon as possible. I've been pushed to fly well before daylight, by companies whose written policies clearly prohibited it. There is very little active oversight by management or safety personnel over the dispatchers or foremen. It takes a strong personality to refuse a flight, knowing that you risk being removed from the job for doing so, even though the customer's official policy prohibits the flight. The written policies of the customers are simply eyewash, written to protect them from lawsuits. In actual practice, they push and push with impunity.
I know nothing about this particular flight, I'm just speaking of things in general from long experience.
I know nothing about this particular flight, I'm just speaking of things in general from long experience.
leading edge wrote:
I cannot speak for him, but I'm sure that when Bert wrote:
...he merely left out the phrase "when you inadvertently encounter them."
Most of the GOM operators do, as B Sousa says, require instrument ratings but NOT so that pilots can knowingly fly into bad weather.
I guess thats why those companies want you to have an Instrument Rating. So you can fly VFR equipped aircraft beyond VFR conditions
I say Gomer....why do the pilots put up with this and not report the practice to the FAA Inspectors? It would seem with the union support available and the Federal laws that protect folks that report safety violations and problems like these, that helicopter pilots in the Gulf could freely contact the FAA whenever they get pressure to fly in below minima or dangerous weather.
The thing about being a professional helicopter pilot is that you are pretty much on your own, decision-making-wise, especially out there in the GOM. This is both good and bad. Pilots who are susceptible to pressure sometimes yield.
Gomer Pylot wrote:
Heh. Welcome to civilian aviation, where making money is the name of the game. If you think this only occurs in the GOM, you are seriously mistaken. While weather minimums are documented in black and white, real weather seldom is. But you cannot fault anyone for trying to make you fly in weather as low as your minimums allow. And as a professional, you should be able to do this unless there is some compelling reason not to (e.g. squall line or nasty cold front coming which would intercept your flight path).
It's really very simple: Go by the rules. Nobody can fault you for that. If someone pressures you to do something else, just look at them like they're crazy...because they are. If you get run-off, you get run-off. Shrug and say, "Oh, well." If your management (you know, the ones who actually pay your salary) won't back you up for going by the book, it's best to say good-bye and find another employer.
SASless wondered:
And what is the FAA going to do? They don't care. They really don't. What they care about is what WE (the pilots) do under such pressure. If we succumb to it, who is wrong: us or the customer? Nor could the FAA really do anything about a customer who asks a pilot to fly in below-minimum weather. Is that a crime? Hardly.
The "daylight" issue is pretty weird. Some companies do have rules stating that operations may not begin before sunrise. But inasmuch as the FAA allows pilots who are not night-current to fly as far as ONE HOUR prior to sunrise, and ONE HOUR after sunrise, then we're just talking semantics here. Personally, I never minded taking off a little before sunrise (it's only going to get lighter, right?) until the company I was working for put it in writing that we could not do this. <shrug> Oh, well.
If you ever want a lesson in being pressured to fly, go to work for some yahoo who owns his own aircraft but does not fly. They will expect the ridiculous. It will test your patience. It will test your diplomacy and tact. It will make those foremen in the GOM seem like rank amateurs.
Gomer Pylot wrote:
In the GOM, things are run by the dispatchers & field foremen. Their only interest is in getting things done quickly and cheaply.
The standard scenario is for the dispatcher or foreman to push the pilots to fly no matter what, and only back down if the pilots firmly refuse. They don't consider the possibility of an accident, they just want to get the flights done as soon as possible. I've been pushed to fly well before daylight, by companies whose written policies clearly prohibited it. There is very little active oversight by management or safety personnel over the dispatchers or foremen.
SASless wondered:
I say Gomer....why do the pilots put up with this and not report the practice to the FAA Inspectors? It would seem with the union support available and the Federal laws that protect folks that report safety violations and problems like these, that helicopter pilots in the Gulf could freely contact the FAA whenever they get pressure to fly in below minima or dangerous weather.
The "daylight" issue is pretty weird. Some companies do have rules stating that operations may not begin before sunrise. But inasmuch as the FAA allows pilots who are not night-current to fly as far as ONE HOUR prior to sunrise, and ONE HOUR after sunrise, then we're just talking semantics here. Personally, I never minded taking off a little before sunrise (it's only going to get lighter, right?) until the company I was working for put it in writing that we could not do this. <shrug> Oh, well.
If you ever want a lesson in being pressured to fly, go to work for some yahoo who owns his own aircraft but does not fly. They will expect the ridiculous. It will test your patience. It will test your diplomacy and tact. It will make those foremen in the GOM seem like rank amateurs.
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PF1, you're right, mostly. There is nothing at all the FAA can do about customer pressure - it's an administrative agency, with no authority over anyone without a license, & certainly not a law enforcement agency, even if there were a law (which there should be, but never will be). I was just responding to Mars, giving the situation over here. I've been working under it for more than 20 years, & I accept the way it is, but it does take some backbone to keep refusing, until you get used to it, & new guys sometimes cave in. Thus, pilots and passengers keep dying.
As for the darkness thing, both my employer's and the customer's own written policies forbade flying before sunrise or after 30 minutes before sunset. That was clear, but it made no difference to the foreman out in the field who needed just one more flight, or to the hands who were anxious to get home on break day.
I've always made it a policy to work for a company that flies as the main part of its business. Any job for anyone who owns a helicopter as an adjunct to his main business is temporary at best. Profits drop, & the helicopter is the first thing to go. I've seen it happen many times, & I ain't going there willingly.
Again, I have no idea whether any of this applies to the incident which initiated this thread.
As for the darkness thing, both my employer's and the customer's own written policies forbade flying before sunrise or after 30 minutes before sunset. That was clear, but it made no difference to the foreman out in the field who needed just one more flight, or to the hands who were anxious to get home on break day.
I've always made it a policy to work for a company that flies as the main part of its business. Any job for anyone who owns a helicopter as an adjunct to his main business is temporary at best. Profits drop, & the helicopter is the first thing to go. I've seen it happen many times, & I ain't going there willingly.
Again, I have no idea whether any of this applies to the incident which initiated this thread.
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Parts of helicopter found
Nola report
CAMERON, La. (AP) — A helicopter crashed in high winds with three men on board, and a slew of aircraft and boats searched for survivors on Saturday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
"They've found parts of the aircraft this afternoon, small pieces of debris, the tail rotor, part of the fuselage, part of the engine covering," said Petty Officer Gaines Huneycutt of the U.S. Coast Guard in New Orleans on Saturday.
The helicopter, part of the Petroleum Helicopters Inc. fleet, was on its way to an offshore oil rig about 80 miles south of Cameron Friday morning when it crashed, officials said.
The pilot failed to report landing on the rig, and PHI reported the aircraft missing at 11:30 a.m.
"It was pretty windy. They had a rain squall that came through at about the same time," said Huneycutt. He estimated that winds were between 25 and 30 knots.
Huneycutt said there were no signs that the helicopter crashed into the rig.
Ed Gatza, a manager of field human resources at PHI, said two offshore workers and a pilot were on the helicopter. Gatza said their next of kin was being notified, and he would not release the men's names by late Friday. Gatza did not immediately return telephone calls on Saturday.
Huneycutt said several helicopters, a jet and offshore supply vessels searched for the men Saturday. A sonar boat looked for the wreckage of the helicopter.
Another PHI helicopter crashed in August, killing three people aboard. That helicopter crashed in rainy weather about 70 miles south of Morgan City.
And from The Advertiser
LAFAYETTE — Debris that probably came from a helicopter missing in the Gulf of Mexico since Friday has been found near the aircraft's last known position.
“We’re 98.9 percent sure that it’s from that helicopter,” said Lt. Kelly Skiles of the U.S. Coast Guard in New Orleans. The search for survivors continues, Skiles said, but is now being concentrated around a debris field that was found 10 to 15 miles south of the platform where the pilot of the helicopter radioed that he was going in for a landing, about 80 miles south of Cameron.
The helicopter is owned by Petroleum Helicopters Inc., based in Lafayette.
None of those aboard has been identified.
The pilot of the PHI aircraft was taking two oil company workers from one platform to another, about 80 miles apart. He was last heard from about 10:15 a.m. when he called to report he was coming in for a landing, said Ed Gatza, PHI’s manager of field human resources. The aircraft was reported missing at 11:30 a.m., and both PHI and the Coast Guard searched throughout the night.
The Coast Guard said the debris field was spotted from the air by a PHI search helicopter about 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
PHI has another helicopter and two boats searching for survivors. The Coast Guard also has several helicopters, two airplanes and two cutters in the area, Skiles said, but the search has narrowed to areas around the debris field, which she said consists of fiberglass and aluminum from the body of an aircraft.
“We’re pretty sure it’s from that helicopter,” she said. “It gives us a better location to search for survivors. At least we know where to look.”
Another PHI helicopter, with five people aboard, went down in the Gulf in mid-August, about 70 miles south of Morgan City. One man died in that accident, and two others were injured.
If the Coast Guard is correct about the debris, four helicopters have crashed in the Gulf since Jan. 1, 2002, and three others have been involved in accidents.
CAMERON, La. (AP) — A helicopter crashed in high winds with three men on board, and a slew of aircraft and boats searched for survivors on Saturday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
"They've found parts of the aircraft this afternoon, small pieces of debris, the tail rotor, part of the fuselage, part of the engine covering," said Petty Officer Gaines Huneycutt of the U.S. Coast Guard in New Orleans on Saturday.
The helicopter, part of the Petroleum Helicopters Inc. fleet, was on its way to an offshore oil rig about 80 miles south of Cameron Friday morning when it crashed, officials said.
The pilot failed to report landing on the rig, and PHI reported the aircraft missing at 11:30 a.m.
"It was pretty windy. They had a rain squall that came through at about the same time," said Huneycutt. He estimated that winds were between 25 and 30 knots.
Huneycutt said there were no signs that the helicopter crashed into the rig.
Ed Gatza, a manager of field human resources at PHI, said two offshore workers and a pilot were on the helicopter. Gatza said their next of kin was being notified, and he would not release the men's names by late Friday. Gatza did not immediately return telephone calls on Saturday.
Huneycutt said several helicopters, a jet and offshore supply vessels searched for the men Saturday. A sonar boat looked for the wreckage of the helicopter.
Another PHI helicopter crashed in August, killing three people aboard. That helicopter crashed in rainy weather about 70 miles south of Morgan City.
And from The Advertiser
LAFAYETTE — Debris that probably came from a helicopter missing in the Gulf of Mexico since Friday has been found near the aircraft's last known position.
“We’re 98.9 percent sure that it’s from that helicopter,” said Lt. Kelly Skiles of the U.S. Coast Guard in New Orleans. The search for survivors continues, Skiles said, but is now being concentrated around a debris field that was found 10 to 15 miles south of the platform where the pilot of the helicopter radioed that he was going in for a landing, about 80 miles south of Cameron.
The helicopter is owned by Petroleum Helicopters Inc., based in Lafayette.
None of those aboard has been identified.
The pilot of the PHI aircraft was taking two oil company workers from one platform to another, about 80 miles apart. He was last heard from about 10:15 a.m. when he called to report he was coming in for a landing, said Ed Gatza, PHI’s manager of field human resources. The aircraft was reported missing at 11:30 a.m., and both PHI and the Coast Guard searched throughout the night.
The Coast Guard said the debris field was spotted from the air by a PHI search helicopter about 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
PHI has another helicopter and two boats searching for survivors. The Coast Guard also has several helicopters, two airplanes and two cutters in the area, Skiles said, but the search has narrowed to areas around the debris field, which she said consists of fiberglass and aluminum from the body of an aircraft.
“We’re pretty sure it’s from that helicopter,” she said. “It gives us a better location to search for survivors. At least we know where to look.”
Another PHI helicopter, with five people aboard, went down in the Gulf in mid-August, about 70 miles south of Morgan City. One man died in that accident, and two others were injured.
If the Coast Guard is correct about the debris, four helicopters have crashed in the Gulf since Jan. 1, 2002, and three others have been involved in accidents.
Last edited by Heliport; 13th Dec 2003 at 19:26.
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Looks like the press are guilty of under-reporting, my information indicates that there have been far more accidents than are shown in the above article.
Simple statistics for the GOM (with a comparison against 2001 - OGP figures) appears to indicate:
If the FAA are not driven to act, the ASRS confidential incident reporting system can be used to highlight the problems due to commercial pressure.
A view recently expressed indicates that what is needed is an inculcation of a safety culture into these operations - they are becoming a source of embarrassment to our industry.
Simple statistics for the GOM (with a comparison against 2001 - OGP figures) appears to indicate:
- 2003 so far; 14 accidents
- 2003 so far; 6 fatal accidents
- 2003 so far; accidents per 100 000 hrs = 4.66 (2001 accidents per 100 000 hrs = 1.77)
- 2003 so far; fatal accidents per 100 000 = 2 (2001 fatal accidents per 100 000 = 0.22)
If the FAA are not driven to act, the ASRS confidential incident reporting system can be used to highlight the problems due to commercial pressure.
A view recently expressed indicates that what is needed is an inculcation of a safety culture into these operations - they are becoming a source of embarrassment to our industry.
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
U.S. Coast Guard
SEARCH CONTINUES FOR CREW OF MISSING HELICOPTER
HOUSTON – The Coast Guard continues to search for three crewmen of a commercial helicopter missing in the Gulf of Mexico since Friday morning.
Petroleum Helicopters Inc. (PHI) notified the Coast Guard around 11:30 a.m. Friday that one of their helicopter crews failed to report in after beginning a landing approach to a rig 70 miles south of Cameron, La. in the West Cameron Block, 509.
At 5:22 p.m. Friday, an offshore supply boat picked up the signal from the missing helicopters radio beacon in the same area where it was last reported. Search crews determined the beacon was transmitting from underwater. An oil sheen and debris from the helicopter were also located in the same area.
The search for the missing crewmen continues.
Crews involved in the search are:
· Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopters, from Air Station Houston
· Coast Guard Cutter Heron, an 87-foot patrol boat from Station Sabine, Texas
· Coast Guard Cutter Manowar, an 87-foot patrol boat from Station Galveston, Texas
· Coast Guard HU-25 Falcon jets, from Aviation Training Center Mobile, Ala. and Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas
· Two helicopters owned by PHI
· A sonar boat contracted by PHI
· Divers contracted by PHI
The names of the missing crewmen are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
U.S. Coast Guard
SEARCH CONTINUES FOR CREW OF MISSING HELICOPTER
HOUSTON – The Coast Guard continues to search for three crewmen of a commercial helicopter missing in the Gulf of Mexico since Friday morning.
Petroleum Helicopters Inc. (PHI) notified the Coast Guard around 11:30 a.m. Friday that one of their helicopter crews failed to report in after beginning a landing approach to a rig 70 miles south of Cameron, La. in the West Cameron Block, 509.
At 5:22 p.m. Friday, an offshore supply boat picked up the signal from the missing helicopters radio beacon in the same area where it was last reported. Search crews determined the beacon was transmitting from underwater. An oil sheen and debris from the helicopter were also located in the same area.
The search for the missing crewmen continues.
Crews involved in the search are:
· Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopters, from Air Station Houston
· Coast Guard Cutter Heron, an 87-foot patrol boat from Station Sabine, Texas
· Coast Guard Cutter Manowar, an 87-foot patrol boat from Station Galveston, Texas
· Coast Guard HU-25 Falcon jets, from Aviation Training Center Mobile, Ala. and Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas
· Two helicopters owned by PHI
· A sonar boat contracted by PHI
· Divers contracted by PHI
The names of the missing crewmen are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
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Leading Edge writes: "require instrument ratings but NOT so that pilots can knowingly fly into bad weather."
Therin lies the Sticky Wicket... coupled with the push for the almighty dollar. Pilots who know they will be in deep doo-doo if the mission is not accomplished , sometimes think that instrument ticket will save their ass. Those squall lines will kick an Airplane Drivers butt, you can imagine what it will do to a Helicopter.
Its nice to fallback on Company SOP and Policy that says you shall not do this or that, BUT talk to a Gomer once in a while over a beer and you will hear some Weather stories that would make an Alaskan Pilot cringe.....
All for that almighty dollar.....
Latest news on this situation does not look good. Very Sad, whos next.....
Therin lies the Sticky Wicket... coupled with the push for the almighty dollar. Pilots who know they will be in deep doo-doo if the mission is not accomplished , sometimes think that instrument ticket will save their ass. Those squall lines will kick an Airplane Drivers butt, you can imagine what it will do to a Helicopter.
Its nice to fallback on Company SOP and Policy that says you shall not do this or that, BUT talk to a Gomer once in a while over a beer and you will hear some Weather stories that would make an Alaskan Pilot cringe.....
All for that almighty dollar.....
Latest news on this situation does not look good. Very Sad, whos next.....
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Coast Guard ends search for three men in helicopter crash
The Associated Press
10/12/2003, 8:17 p.m. CT
CAMERON, La. (AP) — After three days of looking for survivors from a helicopter that crashed in the Gulf of Mexico south of here, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Sunday that it was giving up the search.
The helicopter with the Petroleum Helicopters Inc. fleet went down Friday morning with three men on board about 80 miles south of Cameron. The helicopter was on the way to an offshore oil rig.
An oil sheen, parts of the helicopter and a radio beacon signal from underwater were found in the same area, but search crews found no trace of the men on board.
Officials have said conditions were windy and that a rain squall passed through the area at about the same time the helicopter disappeared.
Ed Gatza, a manager of field human resources at PHI, said two offshore workers and a pilot were on board. Gatza said their next of kin was being notified, and he had not released the men's names.
It was uncertain if PHI ended its search also. Gatza did not immediately return a telephone call to his office late Sunday.
Another PHI helicopter crashed in August, killing three people aboard. That helicopter crashed in rainy weather about 70 miles south of Morgan City.
source
10/12/2003, 8:17 p.m. CT
CAMERON, La. (AP) — After three days of looking for survivors from a helicopter that crashed in the Gulf of Mexico south of here, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Sunday that it was giving up the search.
The helicopter with the Petroleum Helicopters Inc. fleet went down Friday morning with three men on board about 80 miles south of Cameron. The helicopter was on the way to an offshore oil rig.
An oil sheen, parts of the helicopter and a radio beacon signal from underwater were found in the same area, but search crews found no trace of the men on board.
Officials have said conditions were windy and that a rain squall passed through the area at about the same time the helicopter disappeared.
Ed Gatza, a manager of field human resources at PHI, said two offshore workers and a pilot were on board. Gatza said their next of kin was being notified, and he had not released the men's names.
It was uncertain if PHI ended its search also. Gatza did not immediately return a telephone call to his office late Sunday.
Another PHI helicopter crashed in August, killing three people aboard. That helicopter crashed in rainy weather about 70 miles south of Morgan City.
source
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Mars, it seems you have no idea how things work in the U.S. The FAA has no authority whatsoever over customers. The customer is free to request anything, using any coercion available, and it's not illegal, nor would the FAA be involved if it were illegal. The only way the FAA could be involved is if a pilot were to violate minimums, in which case the FAA would violate the pilot and likely suspend his certificate for a period of time. Even if it wanted to, the FAA could not touch the customer. In any case, in the current climate oil companies can pretty much do whatever they like about anything and expect to get away with it. Here in the Homeland we have the best government money can buy.
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But can the FAA touch the operator? It seems ridiculous that pilots continue to break the rules just to please the customer, lives and airframes are lost and that nobody seems willing to force the operators to get their act together and prevent their pilots from flying below minimums, whatever they are.
I'm glad to be working in Europe..
I'm glad to be working in Europe..
Join Date: May 2002
Location: lake providence, la.
Age: 63
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But can the FAA touch the operator?
S76, if it became a prblem with one operator the FAA might look a little deeper into the operators business but, the final go/no go is the pilots responsibility.
One thing that agravates (sp) the situation is pilot ability. In the GOM you have pilots with decades of experience and others on their first day, unsupervised. The guys offshore are used to getting the job done and "getting their way". Not that they are bad people, in fact they are for the most part down home South Louisiana good old boys. After having a pilot that would get the job done, one that comes along and balks at a job can be at tremendous pressure to do it.
Barryb
S76, if it became a prblem with one operator the FAA might look a little deeper into the operators business but, the final go/no go is the pilots responsibility.
One thing that agravates (sp) the situation is pilot ability. In the GOM you have pilots with decades of experience and others on their first day, unsupervised. The guys offshore are used to getting the job done and "getting their way". Not that they are bad people, in fact they are for the most part down home South Louisiana good old boys. After having a pilot that would get the job done, one that comes along and balks at a job can be at tremendous pressure to do it.
Barryb
Last edited by crop duster; 13th Oct 2003 at 19:50.
Ah, but MARS you'll probably find they don't count half of them as accidents; they'll be incidents!