FAA releases preliminary report on Gulf helicopter crash

FAA issues preliminary report on Dec. 29 oil rig workers' helicopter crash
FAA issues preliminary report on Dec. 29 oil rig workers' helicopter crash
Published: Jan. 3, 2023 at 6:33 PM CST
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(KPLC) - The FAA has released its preliminary report on a helicopter crash in the Gulf of Mexico on Dec. 29 that claimed the life of four people.

Two of the people on board have been identified: David Scarborough, 36, of Lizana, Mississippi, and Tim Graham, of Quitman, Mississippi.

After dropping four passengers off on an oil platform in the Gulf, the helicopter picked up three more passengers to transport back to Galliano, according to the FAA report.

But during takeoff, it crashed back onto the helideck, breaking apart and falling into the Gulf of Mexico.

Three oil rig workers and a pilot were killed in the crash. The helicopter and their bodies were returned to shore yesterday.

It was the third crash last year involving a helicopter operated by Rotorcraft Leasing Company, which owns the helicopter.

Three passengers were rescued following a crash on Dec. 15, and a pilot and passenger were killed in a crash on Jan. 14.

Rotorcraft Leasing released the following statement to KPLC:

RLC, LLC, Walter Oil & Gas Corporation and Island Operating Co., Inc. can confirm that the remains of all four occupants in the aircraft involved in the event on December 29, 2022, in the West Delta area, have been recovered.

The response to the incident has been a joint effort involving Walter (owner of the offshore platform near where the helicopter went down in the water), Island (employer of the three passengers) and RLC (operator of the helicopter and employer of the pilot), along with the U.S. Coast Guard and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.

We extend our sincere condolences to the families and friends of the pilot and passengers on board the aircraft. We will continue to cooperate fully with the agencies investigating this tragic incident including the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.

Rotorcraft Leasing declined to release the names of those killed in the Dec. 29 crash. KPLC also reached out to the Lafourche Parish Coroner’s Office, which also declined to release the names.