2004 — Mar 23, helicopter crash flying to drilling rig, Gulf of Mex. ~60M off Galveston, TX– 10

–10 Assoc. Press. “A look at deadly oil Industry accidents.” Victoria Advocate, TX. 4-21-2010.
–10 AP. “Companies memorialize 10 killed in Gulf helicopter crash.” My Plainview, TX. 4-13-2004.
–10 LA Times. “All 10 Aboard Believed Killed in Gulf of Mexico Helicopter Crash.” 3-25-2004.
–10 NTSB. Controlled Flight Into Terrain, Era Aviation Sikorsky…Gulf of Mexico… 3-7-2006.

Narrative Information

NTSB Executive Summary: “On March 23, 2004, about 1918:34 central standard time, an Era Aviation Sikorsky S-76A++ helicopter, N579EH, crashed into the Gulf of Mexico about 70 nautical miles south-southeast of Scholes International Airport (GLS), Galveston, Texas. The
helicopter was transporting eight oil service personnel to the Transocean, Inc., drilling
ship Discoverer Spirit, which was en route to a location about 180 miles south-southeast
of GLS. The captain, copilot, and eight passengers aboard the helicopter were killed, and
the helicopter was destroyed by impact forces. The flight was operating under the
provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 on a visual flight rules flight plan.
Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.

“The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of
this accident was the flight crew’s failure to identify and arrest the helicopter’s descent for
undetermined reasons, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.

“The safety issues discussed in this report focus on terrain awareness and warning
systems for helicopters, flight control system training, flight-tracking technology for
low-flying aircraft in the Gulf of Mexico, and preflight testing and maintenance checks for
cockpit voice recorders. Safety recommendations concerning these issues are addressed
to the Federal Aviation Administration.” (p. viii)

(National Transportation Safety Board. Controlled Flight Into Terrain, Era Aviation Sikorsky S-76A++, N579EH, Gulf of Mexico, About 70 Nautical Miles South-Southeast of Scholes International Airport, Galveston, Texas, March 23, 2004.)

Newspapers

March 25, LA Times: “Houston — Four bodies were pulled from the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday evening and six other people were feared dead after the twin-engine helicopter that was ferrying them to a drilling ship crashed in blustery weather. The bodies were discovered floating in a debris field about 60 miles south of Galveston, Texas, the U.S. Coast Guard said. An extensive search and rescue operation that had blanketed a 2,800-square-mile rectangle of the gulf Wednesday was being concentrated on the area where the remains were found. ‘The bodies recovered are from the helicopter, so we know we are close to the wreck site,’ said Jim Shugart, manager of the Gulf Coast division of Era Aviation Inc., the civil aviation company that operated the helicopter. ‘We’ve got to get through this. It’s going to be a tough night and a tough day tomorrow.’

“The helicopter was last heard from after 7 p.m. Tuesday, when the pilot radioed his headquarters on the Texas coast to report that he was headed to a ship about 135 miles south of Galveston.

“Era Aviation had been hired by El Segundo-based Unocal Corp. to take a Unocal employee and seven contractors to the 835-foot Discoverer Spirit. The Spirit had just completed a drilling operation south of Louisiana and was en route to another drilling site south of Galveston and east of Brownsville, Texas, Unocal representatives said…. Era Aviation, based in Anchorage, is one of the nation’s largest civil aviation companies and often services the energy companies that pepper the Gulf Coast. It is a subsidiary of Houston-based Rowan Co., an oil services company.

“At least 600 helicopters are stationed along the Gulf Coast specifically to ferry engineers and other workers to offshore drilling stations. Scores of trips are made each day.

“The passengers, who were not identified, included a Unocal petroleum engineer, four employees of Halliburton, one employee of Dril-Quip Inc. and two from Offshore Energy Services Inc., Unocal said. The pilot was identified as 50-year-old Tim O’Neal of El Lago, Texas, a town on the west shore of Galveston Bay. O’Neal’s copilot was not identified…. O’Neal was a veteran pilot who had extensive experience flying military aircraft before joining the private sector, said Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer Adam Wine.

“The helicopter, a Sikorsky S76 capable of carrying 12 passengers, was equipped with life jackets and two life rafts, Wine said. One life jacket was discovered in the debris field. The words “Property of Era” were printed on one panel.” (Los Angeles Times (Scott Gold). “All 10 Aboard Believed Killed in Gulf of Mexico Helicopter Crash.” 3-25-2004.)

April 13, AP: “The companies that employed the 10 men who died last month when their helicopter crashed into the open Gulf of Mexico remembered them Wednesday in a solemn outdoor service. Halliburton Co…mourned four of its workers who were aboard the Era Aviation helicopter that went down March 23 as it headed from Galveston to a drilling ship in the western gulf. An investigation continues into the cause of the wreck. ‘We share a bond that’s very different for people outside our organization to understand or imagine,’ said John Gibson, of Halliburton’s oilfield services division. Halliburton lost Jeff Langley, 42, of Kountze, Texas; Andre Lake, 36, of Trinidad and two workers from Houma, La., Tyler Breaux, 23, and Thomas Jackson, 37….

“Kirby Arceneaux of Offshore Energy Services said Trampas Terwillegar, 27 and Jason Petitjean, 34, both of Rayne, La., ‘epitomized our company.’

“Pilot Tim O’Neal, 50, of El Lago, Texas, and co-pilot Donald J. Janning, 46, of Monument, Colo., were considered stars among co-workers, said Jim Schuggart of Era Aviation. ‘Don received his pilot’s license at age 15, a year before his driver’s license,’ Schuggart said of Janning. Both men served their country — O’Neal in the Army, Marines and Coast Guard, Janning in the Army _ before becoming civilian aviators.

“Craig Bailey, 43, of St. Martinville, La., was a family man and fishing and golf enthusiast, said Glenn Kilgore of Dril-Quip, who recalled meeting Bailey for the first time five years ago on a rig….

“The last tribute came from Mike Bell of California-based Unocal, the company whose oil lease the men were preparing to work and that organized Wednesday’s tribute. One of its own, David Kamolsiri, 24, of Houston, also perished….” (Associated Press. “Companies memorialize 10 killed in Gulf helicopter crash.” My Plainview, TX. 4-13-2004.)

Sources

Associated Press. “A look at deadly oil Industry accidents.” Victoria Advocate, TX. 4-21-2010. Accessed 10-2-2021 at: https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/state/a-look-at-deadly-oil-industry-accidents/article_738b9368-cbdf-55e3-9c41-056408262ed7.html

Associated Press. “Companies memorialize 10 killed in Gulf helicopter crash.” My Plainview, TX. 4-13-2004. Accessed 10-3-2021 at: https://www.myplainview.com/news/article/Companies-memorialize-10-killed-in-Gulf-8746826.php

Los Angeles Times (Scott Gold). “All 10 Aboard Believed Killed in Gulf of Mexico Helicopter Crash.” 3-25-2004. Accessed 10-3-2021 at: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-mar-25-na-missing25-story.html

National Transportation Safety Board. Controlled Flight Into Terrain, Era Aviation Sikorsky S-76A++, N579EH, Gulf of Mexico, About 70 Nautical Miles South-Southeast of Scholes International Airport, Galveston, Texas, March 23, 2004. Washington, DC: NTSB, 3-7-2006. Accessed 10-3-2021 at: https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR0602.pdf