Fifteen deaths in helicopter accidents between 2000 and 2006 in the Gulf of Mexico could have been avoided had the survivors been able to retrieve the on-board liferaft before the helicopter turned over and sank, says a US National Transportation Safety Board report.
Crews who escaped with only their lifejackets were not seen at night by boat crews or helicopters. If they had been more visible they might have been rescued, and liferafts might have helped them survive for longer.
In a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration's assistant administrator Robert Sturgell, NTSB chairman Mark Rosenker points out that in its study of the 62 helicopter Gulf of Mexico incidents and accidents between 2000 and 2006, the board found that "there were 15 fatalities that may have been prevented had the liferaft been retrieved or had the flightcrew had signalling devices".
Four specific accidents were cited, and in all cases the helicopter rolled inverted on contacting the water, leaving the crew with no time to locate and recover their liferafts, which in all cases were under seats in the cabin.
The NTSB has recommended that the US Federal Aviation Administration "require that all existing and new turbine-powered helicopters operating in the Gulf of Mexico and certificated with five or more seats be equipped with externally mounted liferafts large enough to accommodate all occupants".
In a second recommendation the NTSB calls for the FAA to "require that all offshore helicopter operators in the Gulf of Mexico provide their flightcrews with personal flotation devices equipped with a waterproof, global positioning system-enabled 406MHz personal locator beacon, as well as one other signalling device, such as a signalling mirror or a strobe light". The FAA says it is considering the proposals.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
