March dates mark helicopter tragedies

Alexandria Nash, daughter of crash victim Burch Nash, affixes a bouquet of flowers on the fence outside the Cougar Helicopters headquarters at St. John’s International Airport on March 12, 2013 — the fourth anniversary of the crash of Cougar Helicopters Flight 491.

On March 12, 2009, Cougar Helicopters Flight 491 crashed while en route to the SeaRose FPSO in the White Rose oilfield and Hibernia platform in the Hibernia oilfield, killing 17 of the 18 passengers onboard.

On March 13, 1985, a Universal Helicopters flight crashed shortly after takeoff from the rig Bowdrill I, while it was moored near Argentia, claiming six lives.

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“Every time you step into the helicopter, and watch the video and don the suits ... for those people that go offshore, I’m sure it’s top of mind every time they step into the airport (building),” said Paul Barnes with the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, adding events like the Cougar Flight 491 crash or the Ocean Ranger rig sinking on Feb. 14, 1982 (with 84 lives lost) are not forgotten by the local industry, even as the years pass.

“We let our employees deal with it and act upon it in the way they most want to do,” said Cougar Helicopters general manager Hank Williams, when asked specifically about Cougar Flight 491.

“For me personally, March 12 is the day you always remember.”

Every year, he said, there is a moment of silence held at the Cougar Helicopters facilities in St. John’s. The company also responded to a worker request for lapel pins, providing blue ribbons to be worn in memory of the men and woman — professionals, colleagues and friends — who died in the March 12 crash.

In a statement, Noia chair Raymond Collins offered thoughts and prayers to all who have lost loved ones.

“The tragic fate of Flight 491 has touched all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians,” Noia president and CEO Bob Cadigan said in the same statement.

“This heart-breaking event serves to remind us of the importance of ensuring a strong safety culture for those making a living from the province’s harsh offshore waters.”

Cougar Flight 491 was raised in the House of Assembly Thursday, in the lead-up to the anniversaries.

“I, along with fellow members of this House, offer my deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the 17 victims who were taken from us far too soon as a result of the crash,” Natural Resources Minister Siobhan Coady said.

“Government and our partners have made major progress on implementing the Wells Report recommendations and we will continue to improve regulations. Safety must always be the first priority of industry and government.”

NDP MHA Lorraine Michael noted there is not a stand-alone entity dealing with safety in the offshore.

“S-92 helicopters still do not have 30-minute run-dry capacity,” she said.

Dan Chicoyne, Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (CNLOPB) chief safety officer, said the Offshore Helicopter Safety Inquiry recommendations — some requiring engineering reviews, some research studies — are nearly all met.

“We have most of the 29 recommendations completed now. Some of them, another two, will be done in the next few months,” Chicoyne said, highlighting an aviation oversight safety review just completed with Cougar Helicopters and the same for CHC in the last year.

“By June, we’ll probably have about three or four of those (recommendations) left to do.”

He noted some were considerations for the board to hold in perpetuity — for example, relating to oversight of safety culture.

The board’s latest update on followup to the recommendations is available on the CNLOPB website.

Chicoyne said the fatal events in Newfoundland and Labrador have ultimately resulted in real change, both locally and internationally.

“The legacy I think 491 has left us with — and has to continue to leave us with — is a safer offshore,” Cougar’s Williams said.

The public is invited to a Cougar Flight 491 memorial service Saturday, March 12 at the West End Baptist Church at 314 Topsail Rd. in St. John’s, with pre-service music beginning at 6:30 p.m. The service will start at 7 p.m.

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Fatal N.L. offshore industry helicopter accidents

Cougar Flight 491

Of the 18 people on board, only one passenger, Robert Decker, survived the crash on March 12, 2009.

The 17 people killed:

• Thomas Anwyll

• Peter Breen

• Gary Corbett

• Matthew Davis

• Wade Drake

• Wade Duggan

• Corey Eddy