Crews rescue 3 after chopper tips into Gulf
 

A helicopter leaving a rig in the Gulf of Mexico flipped into the water when an engine went out Thursday afternoon.
According to a witness, a "chopper in the water" alert went out over a loud speaker on the oil platform just before 5 p.m. He said it was so random everyone was on edge.
The Petroleum Helicopters Inc. (PHI) chopper went into the water in an area known as Main Pass, which is just off the coast of Boothville.
A PHI worker who was on the oil platform pulled out his cell phone and recorded the aftermath. Petty Officer First Class Kelsey Thomason with the U.S. Coast Guard reported three men were on board.
"They were getting ready to take off and there was some kind of malfunction and it flipped over on its side," Thomason said.
According to Thomason, the chopper was floating on the water on a pontoon, but the guys could have been seriously hurt.
"It is dangerous. We did have a helicopter up doing a pollution flight, so we quickly diverted it to the rig and quickly recovered it," he explained.
A PHI worker said within 10 minutes a vessel pulled alongside the helicopter to rescue the three men. Thomason added they were taken back to the platform and treated by PHI medics.
The helicopter was tied to the platform to keep it from floating away.

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that was about 8 miles from my dads platform

And....?

My son works for Chevron in Main Pass, haven't heard any thing from him about the incident. Guys are lucky to have gotten out safely. Good Training, I quess the media haven't gotten this yet, with all the black eye's we have gotten with the oil spills we surely don't need any more ammo about how bad the Oil companies and the Services are. Its been a few years since I worked the GOM, working overseas we don't get all that pressure from the Govts. Feel for you guys working the Gulf to have to put up with the added pressure of Washington that don't know crap about our industry. It will get worst when they bring in these new inspectors without any offshore background.

Wow that's crazy! That would end my offshore career in a heartbeat, I hate flying in those damn choppers!
Glad no one was seriously injured

especially if you didn't make it out of the crash :cool:

Valid point.....

I thought those things were desined to float???


Guess they are designed to fly too.

It is floating!

thats why you're trained water survival for this type of situation...glad all got out well and ok...which platform was this at? i've been on 2 ankor's out that way before...

on a side note...those passengers....WILL BE PAID

I didn't know salty worked offshore

I've got a buddy that this happened to.........your right




PAID IN FULL!!!!!!!

Helicopters are long, narrow and have a high center of gravity.
When they go in the water and the wind or waves are up, then they will turn over.
They are not made to float upright in bad weather. If they were, they wouldn't fly good.