Cougar Helicopter Crash

[Newfoundking]

I have been terribly busy, but I would like to announce a helicopter crash yesterday morning at approximately 0915h Newfoundland time.

En route to the Hibernia old platform, with a crew of 2 and 16 oil rig workers being transported for a shift change, there was a mechanical issue reported about 18 minutes after leaving St. John's, Newfoundland. The Pilot called in a distress call, and when he was given permission to abort the transport and return to St. John's, he had to ditch in the frigid Atlantic ocean.

When the SAR team arrived, they recovered one person, Robert Decker, who was rushed to the main hospital in St. John's via helicopter. He is currently in critical condition. Only one other body was found in the ocean, that of a young woman, about 35 years old. The other 16 people are presumed dead now, and the SAR mission is now a recovery mission.

Both life boats deployed, and it is unclear whether it was manually deployed, or automatically deployed when it hit the salt water. Both were found empty by SAR teams. It is unclear the location of the other 16 bodies, but some people believe that they are in the Cougar Helicopter at the bottom of the ocean, and were trapped and drowned.

I will share any more information as it comes in, so far no information has been released about the persons on board.

I offer my condolenes and prays to the family

[Newfoundking]

I know I double posting, but I come with more news regarding this tragic incident.

The following is taken directly from VOCM.com (local news radio station website)

The Transportation Safety Board has located the wreckage of the Cougar helicopter off Newfoundland.

Lead investigator Mike Cunningham says a remote controlled camera confirmed today what they earlier believed is the fuselage of the chopper based on sonar readings. The Transportation Safety Board dropped an R.O.V. and camera into the ocean this morning, and have found the doomed helicopter. He says the helicopter is laying on its side, but it is largely intact. They do not know yet if there are any bodies inside. The TSB says its first priority is the recovery of the bodies and their preferred method would be to hoist the helicopter, with the bodies inside, to the surface. Some parts of the machine have already been recovered, including a couple of the doors, and personal items, such as kit bags, are surfacing. Mike Cunningham of the TSB says there was some break-up on impact. They're hoping to recover the flight data recorder, or the black box as it's commonly known, which could provide a lot of information as to what happened in those final moments. Meanwhile, there is now an exclusion zone around the crash site, applying to both aircraft and ships at sea.

I will keep you up to date as more information comes in. I do offer information in translated form if you wish. PM if you want it translated for easier reading.

EDIT:

RCMP have identified 2 more victims of Thursday's chopper crash of the coast of Newfoundland. Police say 32 year old Corey Eddy of Paradise, formerly of Sibley's Cove and 41 year old John Pelley of Deer Lake were passengers on Cougar Flight 491 as it headed to the oil rigs offshore. Police have now released 14 of the 17 names of those who lost the lives when the helicopter went down just outside St. John's. The lone survivor, Robert Decker, remains in critical condition at the Health Sciences Centre.

They are no longer planning on removing the wreck by lift as it is in worse condition than originally thought. Instead the plan is to recover any bodies, then hoist the wreck up.