Working on an offshore oil rig is a dangerous job, no matter what the task. Fires, leaks, pressure releases, even the weather make every aspect of living and working on these machines a potential hazard. But in fact traveling to and from the offshore oil rigs can be equally as dangerous.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a report detailing the events that led to a helicopter crash in the Gulf of Mexico, illustrating this point. The flight originated at the helicopter operator’s base in Creole, LA, leaving at approximately 7:05 AM. The pilot was ferrying three passengers to West Cameron (WC) 645, and planned to stop over at WC 560 on the way back to refuel. The helicopter left with 50 gallons of fuel with no reserve, enough to travel for about 1 hour 50 minutes.
The flight landed as scheduled at WC 645 at about 8:30 AM. At that time, the pilot noted that he could not see any indication of the transmission oil level. Further, there were signs of oil leakage on the outside of the helicopter’s fuselage. A mechanic was brought in from Creole to inspect the damage. He concluded that the helicopter’s transmission had been “over-serviced” which caused the oil leak. He recommended a 30-60 minute ground test, but the pilot informed him that they did not have enough fuel to do that. They compromised on a 5-minute ground test followed by a 5-minute hover.
The pilot of the helicopter who had brought the mechanic offered to refuel the first helicopter before they started the testing. But the crash helicopter pilot waved him off, saying that he “could do this without any problems.” The second helicopter flew back to its base, leaving the pilot and the mechanic to perform the tests.
After the ground test was successful, the pilot and the mechanic flew the short trip from WC 645 to WC 560. However upon approach, the helicopter started to make strange turns according to witnesses. Then, just short of the platform, the helicopter “sounded like it lost power and dropped rapidly.” The helicopter hit the platform before crashing into the Gulf. Since the flotation devices failed to deploy, the craft sank quickly into the water. Both the pilot and the mechanic were killed in the accident.
The NTSB officially recorded the cause as: “The loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot’s improper fuel calculations.” The emergency flotation device was found to be turned off, and the passenger seat and shoulder belts were unfastened.
Tragically, accidents like this happen every day. If you or a loved one has been injured on an offshore oil rig either while working or in transport, contact South Florida personal injury lawyer David I. Fuchs at 800-570-2858 to find out more about your legal rights.