Reports indicate that all thirteen people working on the rig have been accounted for. It appears that the rig is still on fire. Additional information was not yet available. As information is received regarding this explosion, we will update our website. Please check back frequently.

Emerging news reports from the Times Picayune are now reporting that  the rig was “an oil and gas production rig located in 340 feet of water.” Additionally, the article indicated one injury has been reported and “twelve of the workers are in immersion suits, designed to protect them from hypothermia.”

According to The Associated Press, “Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Lynn Lunsford says the Air Evac helicopter crashed at about 4:15 a.m. Tuesday near the Scotland community in Van Buren County.”

As further details emerge we will update this blog.

The S-92 failed an important test that requires a helicopter to be able to fly for thirty minutes without gearbox oil. Older helicopters can only fly for a few minutes without gearbox oil. The Federal Aviation Regulation(FAR) ,the European counterpart for the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, passed the S-92 under a clause that allows an exemption if the failure is “ extremely remote”. The certification gives the pilots a false sense of security believing that the helicopter can run for thirty minutes without oil pressure. What ever the definition of “extremely remote” no exemptions should be allowed in obtaining an advanced certification. The FAR should immediately stop this practice and we should require all helicopters flown in our country be certified by the FAA.

The only evidence of a bird strike in this case however, was a loud noise heard in the cockpit followed by the loss of torque to both engines.

While I agree with Sikorsky to switch wind screens on their helicopters to heavier glass which is stronger, I can’t imagine that a bird strike caused two engines to instantly fail.

In due time, NTSB investigators and private experts will determine the cause of these crashes. The bird strike defense will be quickly forgotten.

I admire the brave family of this offshore worker for their efforts to make transportation safer for all in the offshore industry.  Special circumstances such as ice and snow require special attention.

Let’s hope that the family’s efforts are recognized and precautions are taken so that this never happens again.

An initial inspection by a bird specialist found no evidence of a bird strike. However, investigators have taken swabs of the helicopter and found DNA evidence of a hawk. But is this evidence of a bird strike or bird droppings on the helicopter? Aircraft share the skies with birds and there are hundreds of reasons why DNA or feathers are found on an aircraft. The NTSB cautiously said the bird strike may have preceded the crash, but not caused it.

I hope the investigation turns up more evidence of why this crash happened. On the heels of the now famous landing in the Hudson River, due to a bird strike, we can’t blame every crash on bird strikes. This course of action will send aviation investigations “to the birds.”

The NTSB, with the help of the U.S. Department of Agriculture has examined the helicopter for evidence of a bird strike. Results from DNA testing of a swab taken from the pilot-side windscreen show that microscopic remains of a hawk variety were present. A second detailed examination of the wreckage layout revealed the presence of small parts of feathers under a right side windscreen seal and in the folds of the right side engine inlet filter. The NTSB continues its investigation involving further analysis of information from the cockpit, voice and flight data recorders, detailed examination and analysis of the wreckage, research into scenarios that could cause the loss of engine torque, and electrical anomalies noted on the flight recorders, and the flight crew’s response to the event.

Officials do know that the helicopter was traveling at 160 miles per hour prior to crashing into the Louisiana swamp.

This type of investigation may last for years. I handled a helicopter case where the NTSB was able to recover a mostly intact helicopter, yet the investigation still took a year to complete. So, that the fact that officials still do not know what happened within the last few minutes of this ill-fated flight really comes as no surprise.  When the litigants involve their own experts, which will probably be among the best in the country, the cause of this accident will be discovered.

The Obama administration can help by decreasing drilling restrictions on shallow water areas in the Gulf.  I was raised and educated in a family of offshore workers.  I know what great pride all of you have.  Tell your congressmen we don’t need a bailout. We need jobs!  Stimulate the economy by expanding offshore drilling.  President Obama, the answer to expanding drilling opportunities is “yes we can.”

Tell me what you think about stimulating the economy of the Gulf States.

Wes Gralapp, Son of a sailor

A captain’s son turned lawyer,
Wesley J. Gralapp
Raised on the water, fed on the dock.

According to the NTSB, the probable cause of the accident was the flight crew’s failure to identify and arrest the helicopter’s descent for undetermined reasons, which resulted in a controlled flight into the terrain.  Recommendations by NTSB included that all existing and new turbine-powered rotorcraft of 6 or more passengers be equipped with a terrain awareness and warning system (TAWS)

These systems have the ability to look ahead of an aircraft to determine the terrain or other obstruction along the flight path, thereby providing the pilots with aural alerts and more time to determine the necessary corrective actions.

A TAWS simulation suggested that an alert would have been given 55 to 68 seconds before impact.  FAA now requires the aircraft to be equipped with TAWS.  In addition, implementation of satellite tracking for low-flying aircraft in the Gulf of Mexico beyond the capabilities of existing FAA land based radar sites provides awareness to controllers and pilots of the perils they face over the water in the Gulf and a means to avoid crash and loss of life.  This technology could have monitored the accident helicopters flight path and provided an alert to the flight crew about the descent and the pilots would have received a warning in the cockpit about the descent.  Satellite tracking must be put on the fast track for the safety of the  pilots and offshore oil workers.

Hang in there!
Wes Gralapp, Captain’s son turned lawyer.
Raised on the water, Fed on the dock.