Helicopter ditches in Shanghai

[helimutt]

Seems like Sky reporting another heli down in the water in Shanghai!!

[Teefor Gage]

Chinese helicopter crashes into sea off Shanghai, AS

4/12/2009, 5:45 a.m

BEIJING (AP) — BEIJING (AP) ? A helicopter carrying four people crashed and sank in the East China Sea near Shanghai on Sunday, state media reported. Three people were rescued.
The helicopter went down near an estuary of the Yangtze River, the official Xinhua News Agency said. It said the three rescued crew members were treated at a hospital.
Three rescue boats from the China Marine Search and Rescue Center were attempting to locate the sunken helicopter and the missing crew member, Xinhua said.

A man who answered the phone at the search and rescue center's office in Beijing confirmed three of the four people on board were rescued. He refused to give his name or provide more details.
The report said the crash occurred one minute after the helicopter took off from a ship docked in Shanghai named Xuelong, or "Snow Dragon."
The ship left Shanghai in October with a crew of 140 scientists, technicians and sailors to carry out a 173-day Antarctic expedition trip, Xinhua said.

[Teefor Gage]

Link to news article in xinhuanet

[joshuaw]

Hi All

Any more news on this chopper that has bone down. Have a friend working there and would appreciate some more information.

[Teefor Gage]

No further news relating to the cause, at least as far as I know. However, there are plenty of articles relating to the crash, including the following one which gives some pics of the helicopter before and after the ditching.

Shanghai heli ditching

And this one which has an artists impression of the route the heli took on departure from the vessel and into the sea... Link

The helicopter has been recovered - Link. Causes are likely to take a while as some say that the weather was good, another says that Fog is likely to be the culprit!

Gentlemen, start your engines........