Canadian Coast Guard helicopter crashes in Arctic Ocean, 3 dead

Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark.
– Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Arctic coast guard helicopter crash kills 3

The crash occurred on Monday evening in the McClure Strait, about 600 kilometres west of Resolute. (ArcticNet)

Canada’s Transportation Safety Board is investigating a tragic incident in which three men were killed Monday when the helicopter they were on crashed into the Arctic Ocean.

The helicopter was on a reconnaissance mission at the time, travelling with the Amundsen, a coast guard icebreaker. There were no survivors.

The men who died were:

• Marc Thibault, commanding officer of the CCGS Amundsen.
• Daniel Dubé, helicopter pilot.
• Klaus Hochheim, an Arctic scientist affiliated with the University of Manitoba.

The Amundsen had recently departed Resolute on a research voyage.

This map shows the location of the crash, about 600 kilometres west of Resolute, in the Northwest Passage north of Banks Island. (CBC)

The crash occurred at 8 p.m. ET (6 p.m. MT) Monday in the McClure Strait, about 600 kilometres west of Resolute. The McClure Strait is north of Banks Island on the opposite side of the island from Sachs Harbour, N.W.T.

The helicopter, a Messerschmitt BO 105S, was doing a reconnaissance mission on the state of the ice in the area when it crashed.

A spokesperson with the Coast Guard said Tuesday that weather conditions in the area of the crash were “clear, with good visibility.”

The first responder to the crash site was the Amundsen itself. The crew was able to recover the three victims, and are returning to Resolute with their bodies. All three were wearing standard issue orange survival suits.

Marc Thibault, commanding officer of the CCGS Amundsen, was killed Monday when the helicopter he was on crashed into the Arctic Ocean. (DFO)

Louis Fortier, the scientific director of the mission of which the three men were part, said their deaths came as a shock.

“Commandant Thibault and Daniel and Klaus were friends,” he said. “And this is the main message this morning, it’s the sadness for those people with whom we’ve been working with for 10 years now and it’s a major loss.”

The ship is expected to arrive back in Resolute on Wednesday.

Psychologists will be there when the ship arrives to offer support to the nearly 80 crew members and researchers aboard the Amundsen.

Helicopter Pilot Daniel Dubé, who was killed in the crash, was born in Abitibi, Que., in 1957. (DFO)

TSB reviewing incident

Thibault was born in L’Islet in the Chaudiere Appalaches region of Quebec in 1965. Dubé was born in Abitibi, Que., in 1957. He was married with four children. Hochheim was 55 years old. He leaves behind a wife and three children.

“Klaus was a friend and colleague. We’re devastated at the news of his passing,” said Tim Papakyriakou, one of Hochheim’s colleagues at the University of Manitoba. “He was a veteran of high Arctic field campaigns and an outstanding research scientist. We extend heartfelt condolences to his family. He will be sorely missed by all.”

Klaus Hochheim, 55, a passenger killed in Monday’s helicopter crash in the McClure Strait, was an Arctic scientist affiliated with the University of Manitoba. (DFO)

Prime Minister Stephen Harper also issued a statement on the death of the three men.

“On behalf of Canadians, Laureen and I offer our deepest condolences to the families and friends of [the victims],” Harper said. “It is a grim reminder of the very real dangers faced on a regular basis by those brave individuals who conduct research and patrol our Arctic – one of the harshest and most challenging climates in the world – to better understand and protect Canada’s North.”

“The courage and dedication of these three brave individuals will be honoured and remembered,” the PM said.

The vessel had gone through a full crew change on Sept. 5 in Resolute.

The coast guard spokesperson said it is standard practice for helicopters to depart on reconnaissance missions to gauge ice around the ship following a crew change.

The Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday it is probing the crash.

“One of our biggest challenges is that there are no eyewitnesses,” said John Lee, who is with the TSB in Edmonton. “And of course the helicopter itself, which is going to have a lot of important information for us, is located at the bottom of McClure Strait so until we retrieve the wreckage it’s going to be difficult to be able to come to any kind of determination as to cause or any underlying issues.”

Lee said the TSB is still trying to figure out how it’s going to retrieve the helicopter. It’s about 450 metres under water north of Banks Island.

The last time a coast guard helicopter crashed was in 2005 in Marystown, Nfld.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/story/2013/09/10/north-chopper-crash.html

4 confirmed dead in Shetland helicopter crash

The next time you complain about the cost of filling your tank, think on. People die to bring you the black gold.

RNLI lifeboats involved in rescue operation following North Sea helicopter crash

Volunteer lifeboat crew members from two Shetland lifeboat stations have spent the night involved in a multi-agency rescue operation after a helicopter crashed in the North Sea.

The RNLI lifeboats from Aith and Lerwick were both launched yesterday evening (23 August) at the request of the Coastguard, following reports that a helicopter had ditched into the sea west of Sumburgh airport on the Shetland Isles.

It is believed the helicopter, a Super Puma L2 helicopter, was carrying 16 passengers and two crew from the Borgsten Dolphin oil platform in the North Sea and was operated by CHC for Total, taking people to and from oil and gas platforms.

Both lifeboats made their way to the scene throughout the evening and assisted in the search for passengers with other agencies, including two rescue helicopters, a passenger ferry and a cargo vessel.

Whilst the lifeboats were still making their way to the scene, 14 people were rescued. Once on scene both lifeboats assisted in the search for four people that were unaccounted for.

Earlier today (Saturday 24 August) Police Scotland confirmed that three bodies had been recovered, two of which were recovered by Lerwick RNLI lifeboat and taken to a nearby pier. Work is now underway to recover the fourth deceased person.

A spokesman for the RNLI said: ‘Sadly the bodies of three people have been recovered in the aftermath of yesterday’s crash, and we know that agencies are working to recover the body of the fourth person. We can confirm that the RNLI lifeboat crew from Lerwick lifeboat station recovered two of those people. The lifeboat crew transported them to Sumburgh and we are liaising with other authorities as things develop.

‘Obviously this is the news that everyone, included our lifeboat volunteers, dreaded – our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of those four people. We can also confirm that one of our lifeboats has also been involved in reclaiming wreckage from the scene as part of the operation.’

The wreckage of the helicopter had been situated in a fairly inaccessible position near cliffs, and weather conditions at the time was described as not particularly good. Lerwick RNLI lifeboat managed to tow the wreckage off rocks and it was being held in the shelter of a bay until a recovery operation could commence.

Media enquiries can be addressed to Police Scotland press office on 01224 306436.

DC Guard F-16s collide, 1 pilot ejects, rescued by US Coast Guard

The District of Columbia Air National Guard based at Joint Base Andrews operates the F-16C/D and is among the units providing combat air patrols over US cities as part of Operation Noble Eagle. The United States Coast Guard Station at Elizabeth City, NC was the first USCG unit to operate the HH-60J/MH-60T multi-mission helicopter.

Coast Guard Rescues F-16 Pilot After Late Thursday Crash

A US Coast Guard HH-60 Jayhawk. US Coast Guard

An Air National Guard flier is in the hospital with minor injuries after two F-16Cs collided in mid-air late Thursday night, officials with the 113th Wing D.C. Air National Guard told USNI News on Friday.

The collision occurred late Thursday near Chincoteague, Va. One F-16 was able to return to Joint Base Andrews, Md. while the second crashed after the pilot ejected.

The pilot of the crashed plane was recovered by the crew from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City after being notified by the Coast Guard’s 5th District Command Center and Navy’s Fleet Area Control and Surveillance Facility at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Va.

The crew of the HH-60 Jayhawk from Elizabeth City recovered the pilot from the water and returned the flier to Andrews at about 12:30 a.m. EST.

As of Friday morning, the pilot of the crashed F-16 was at the base hospital with minor injuries, said U.S. Air National Guard Capt. Michael Odle with the 113th.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

http://news.usni.org/2013/08/02/coat-guard-rescues-f-16-pilot-after-late-thursday-crash