Helicopter Crash on Newfoundland's Grand Banks

[GordMay]

16 missing in Newfoundland helicopter crash

Cougar 911, was ferrying workers to the White Rose and Hibernia offshore oil platforms (in Newfoundland’s Grand Banks) when a mayday was issued at 9:48 a.m. NT Thursday. The crew indicated they had a "main gear box oil pressure problem", and were "ditching," implying that a controlled crash was planned. Evidently the chopper sank about eight minutes later.

Two empty life-rafts were recovered near debris, scattered over at least six nautical miles, but no sign of the automatic emergency beacons that each person was carrying in their survival suits (mandatory), has been found.

One man (Robert Decker) was rescued alive, and one pulled dead, from the ocean on Thursday, hours after the Helicopter went down with 18 aboard.

More:
TheStar.com | Canada | Search continues for chopper crash victims

And:
No signals from locator beacons in crashed helicopter: officials

Below, A map & a Sikorsky S92 helicopter flown by Cougar Helicopters

[Connemara]

Been following this in the papers. Why do I think there's gonna be some hard questions asked about why the locator beacons have not been heard from?
Helluva thing.

Connemara

[waverider]

Terrible story, was watching the news last night when I heard about it. Good artical on it in the Halifax Chronical Herald today. Nova Scotia News - TheChronicleHerald.ca



Todd

[Artful Dodger]

Well one story to watch as it seems to be having a lot of locals asking why were all the chopers in Gander off on an exercise in Cape Breton, as if even one had been in Gander there could have been a rescue attemp 30 mintues after the May Day call instead of almost over an hour, leads one to think that someone could have been there before the choper sank. The Provinal crew aboard the air craft which saw the vessel where over it in abut 20 minutes where they saw two bodys in the water as well the craft up side down. There will be may stories and comments over the next few days. They will be putting a camera down tomorrow to see the chopper.

With all of this, one question has to be ask with all the training workers have to go through and even testing with mock ditches, to only have one person servive one would think there should have been a better rate of survival

[waverider]

I would bet that when they put the camera down they find the rest of the crew. The trainning they go through is world class, the best other then Airforce and Navy. I would think most unfortunately died on impact. My best wishes go out to the familys and friends of the crew and passengers.