CCG 105 crash kills 2 in NFLD
 

St. John's, Nfld.

Thursday, December 8, 2005
Copter crew killed
By ROSIE GILLINGHAM, The Telegram

The bodies of a pilot and a technician were recovered at sea late Wednesday night after their helicopter went down in Mortier Bay on the province’s south coast.
The federal employees were doing work in the MBB-150(sic) chopper for the Canadian Coast Guard, performing maintenance on a land-based navigation aid on Go By Point, located near the community of Beau Bois Cove, just east of Marystown.

According to Jan Woodford, regional director for coast guard communications, the helicopter went down while en route to Hotel Marystown, which is about a five-minute flight.

The cause of death is under investigation.

The men were reported overdue at around 4:30 p.m., at which time air traffic control contacted the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Halifax.

The naval vessel HMCS Glace Bay located the bodies around 11:30 p.m., at which time they were handed over to the RCMP and taken to Marystown.

A Department of National Defence Cormorant helicopter was also called to the scene from Gander, as well as a Hercules from Greenwood, the Canadian Coast Guard cutter Jackman and the HMCS Goose Bay naval vessel.

RCMP and Marystown’s volunteer ground and search teams also aided in the search.

The names of the men are not being released until next of kin are notified.

“It’s very sad,” Woodford said. “Our thoughts and prayers certainly go out to their families.”

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God speed my friend!!!!!

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/natio...ter051207.html

SO sad the pilot in the photo looks familiar.

update

Seems the boys were not wearing poopy suits.

What was the water temp that day? Weather conditions? Sea State? Time of day? Life Raft in the aircraft? Do they use Survival Suits at all? How far over water was the flight? How long did it take for the SAR to find them?

Being a bit north of Appamatox....I would imagine it was a bit chilly.

http://www.oceanweather.com/data/Global/sst.html

Currently about 4 to 5 deg c .

All helicopters are fitted with pop out floats , water activated ELT and conventional ELT. It says on the CCG site that the floats are automatic , they were not installed that way , maybe they have modded them.

http://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/helicopter/...-105-cbs_e.htm

Link says it crried a life raft.

I'd have my immersion suit on for sure. I know it's a pain in the arse, but this is a tragic example of why one should put up with certain things.

Very sorry to hear we've lot another two, been a rough year.

RH