MAY 13, 2015
SAUCIER, HARRISON COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI
The lone survivor of a helicopter crash in Saucier has filed
a lawsuit against manufacturers of the aircraft and its turbo-shaft engine.
The lawsuit for Brendan Mullen, 42, alleges a defective
engine caused the crash. It was filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in
Gulfport.
Mullen was a passenger in a Bell 206 L-1 that crashed March
30 during a controlled burn in the De Soto National Forest.
Killed in the crash were U.S. Forest Service employee Steve
Cobbs, 55, of Wiggins, and Brandon Ricks, 40, a Blanchard, Okla., resident and
pilot emplyed by T&M Aviation of Abbeville, La.
Named as defendants are Bell Helicopter Textron Inc., the
helicopter's manufacturer and Rolls-Royce Corporation, which makes and
distributes the 250-C30P turbo-shaft engine. Both businesses are based in
Delaware.
The civil complaint alleges both companies knew or should
have known the helicopter and its component parts were defective and could
cause serious or permanent injuries. It also claims both companies failed to
provide adequate warnings or instructions about dangerous conditions that could
result from use of the helicopter or its component parts.
Before the crash, "horns sounded and the pilot said,
'we lost power,'" according to the lawsuit.
Mullen managed to escape from the helicopter after the
cockpit and cabin separated from other parts of the helicopter and caught fire.
His injuries included burns on over 15 percent of his body, a broken neck and
trauma to his abdomen.
The cockpit and the cabin were destroyed by fire and were
separated from other parts of the helicopter.
The lawsuit seeks a jury trial and an unspecified amount in
damages.
The complaint alleges the helicopter and/or its component
parts "were defectively manufactured or assembled," which caused the
crash.
Mullen, a forestry service technician, was on a temporary
assignment from his forestry job in Helena, Mt.
The lawsuit was filed by helicopter litigator Gary C. Robb
of Kansas City, Mo. After the crash, Robb told the Sun Herald he believed the
crash was caused by a mechanical failure.
"All signs are pointing toward engine failure,"
Robb said Wednesday.
Robb said Mullen remains hospitalized and it is unclear if
he will be able to return to work.
Source: http://www.sunherald.com/
/////////------------------------------///////////////////
BELL 206L-1: ACCIDENT OCCURRED MARCH 30, 2015 IN SAUCIER,
HARRISON COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI
MONDAY, MARCH 30, 2015
A pilot from Blanchard, Okla., and a U.S. Forest Service
worker from Wiggins were unable to get out of a crashed helicopter after it
caught fire in the De Soto National Forest, but another forest worker managed
to get out and survive, authorities said,
The pilot killed in Monday's crash in the Success community in north Harrison County has been identified as Brandon Ricks, 40, of Blanchard, Okla. The U.S. Forest Service worker killed was Steven W. Cobb, 55, of Wiggins.
Harrison County coroner Gary Hargrove said both were found inside the Bell 206 L1 helicopter after the crash was reported about a mile from Airey Town Road at 2:57 p.m.
Autopsies show Ricks died of smoke inhalation and Cobb of blunt force trauma, Hargrove said.
Authorities said the helicopter is owned by T&M Aviation of Oklahoma.
The details were released Tuesday in a press conference at the Mississippi Highway Patrol complex in Biloxi.
The survivor's name has not been released.
Hargrove said the man underwent surgery Monday night at the University of South Alabama Medical Center in Mobile. His condition was downgraded from critical to serious but authorities have not been able to talk with him yet.
The helicopter crashed along a 30-foot path and hit a number of trees, said Stephen Stein, air safety investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board. The crash site is east of Mississippi 67 and U.S. 49.
The wreckage will likely be removed Wednesday outside the view of the media and the public.
Officials have said the pilot and forest workers had been monitoring a controlled burn of about 800 acres along the Harrison and Stone county lines.
Stein said the helicopter had taken off from the Wiggins Airport. It is unclear if the pilot was communicating with anyone before the crash.
A NTSB team arrived at the crash site Tuesday along with team members from the Federal Aviation Administration, inspectors, aircraft engineers and manufacturers' representatives, he said.
The team will gather and document the scene with photographs before turning over the wreckage to a secure facility for further investigation, Stein said.
Part of the initial investigation includes questioning witnesses. Stein said the Forest Service and Harrison County Fire Service have been helpful with that, as well as other aspects.
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact the NTSB at witness@ntsb.gov or (202) 314-6000.
"Once the wreckage has been recovered, we will begin to investigate the man, the machine and the environment," Stein said.
Investigators will compile information about the pilot, his training and flight proficiency, and they'll examine the aircraft, its component history and maintenance records. Stein said the probe also will consider lighting and weather conditions, environmental factors and archived radar data.
A preliminary report with initial findings will be available on the NTSB website within five to 10 business days.
Stein said it could take up to 12 months to complete the investigation. About 60 days later, the NTSB board will release a brief report and probable-cause report.
"During the course of the investigation, if we find any systematic deficiencies at all concerning the man, the machine or the environment, the board will move to issue a safety recommendation … designed to prevent future similar accidents," Stein said. "Safety is our primary mission."
He said the helicopter was built in 1980.
"On behalf of the NTSB, I'd like to offer deepest sympathies and most sincere condolences to the families and friends of those involved in the accident," Stein said.
Mario Rossilli, Forest Service public affairs spokesman, said members of the state agency feel the loss.
"It has hit a lot of us really right here," he said, placing his hand over his heart. "We're coping."
Greta Boley, Forest Service national director for Mississippi, said the agency appreciates a show of concern and prayers from across the nation and in South Mississippi
"We are hurting right now," Boley said.
The pilot killed in Monday's crash in the Success community in north Harrison County has been identified as Brandon Ricks, 40, of Blanchard, Okla. The U.S. Forest Service worker killed was Steven W. Cobb, 55, of Wiggins.
Harrison County coroner Gary Hargrove said both were found inside the Bell 206 L1 helicopter after the crash was reported about a mile from Airey Town Road at 2:57 p.m.
Autopsies show Ricks died of smoke inhalation and Cobb of blunt force trauma, Hargrove said.
Authorities said the helicopter is owned by T&M Aviation of Oklahoma.
The details were released Tuesday in a press conference at the Mississippi Highway Patrol complex in Biloxi.
The survivor's name has not been released.
Hargrove said the man underwent surgery Monday night at the University of South Alabama Medical Center in Mobile. His condition was downgraded from critical to serious but authorities have not been able to talk with him yet.
The helicopter crashed along a 30-foot path and hit a number of trees, said Stephen Stein, air safety investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board. The crash site is east of Mississippi 67 and U.S. 49.
The wreckage will likely be removed Wednesday outside the view of the media and the public.
Officials have said the pilot and forest workers had been monitoring a controlled burn of about 800 acres along the Harrison and Stone county lines.
Stein said the helicopter had taken off from the Wiggins Airport. It is unclear if the pilot was communicating with anyone before the crash.
A NTSB team arrived at the crash site Tuesday along with team members from the Federal Aviation Administration, inspectors, aircraft engineers and manufacturers' representatives, he said.
The team will gather and document the scene with photographs before turning over the wreckage to a secure facility for further investigation, Stein said.
Part of the initial investigation includes questioning witnesses. Stein said the Forest Service and Harrison County Fire Service have been helpful with that, as well as other aspects.
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact the NTSB at witness@ntsb.gov or (202) 314-6000.
"Once the wreckage has been recovered, we will begin to investigate the man, the machine and the environment," Stein said.
Investigators will compile information about the pilot, his training and flight proficiency, and they'll examine the aircraft, its component history and maintenance records. Stein said the probe also will consider lighting and weather conditions, environmental factors and archived radar data.
A preliminary report with initial findings will be available on the NTSB website within five to 10 business days.
Stein said it could take up to 12 months to complete the investigation. About 60 days later, the NTSB board will release a brief report and probable-cause report.
"During the course of the investigation, if we find any systematic deficiencies at all concerning the man, the machine or the environment, the board will move to issue a safety recommendation … designed to prevent future similar accidents," Stein said. "Safety is our primary mission."
He said the helicopter was built in 1980.
"On behalf of the NTSB, I'd like to offer deepest sympathies and most sincere condolences to the families and friends of those involved in the accident," Stein said.
Mario Rossilli, Forest Service public affairs spokesman, said members of the state agency feel the loss.
"It has hit a lot of us really right here," he said, placing his hand over his heart. "We're coping."
Greta Boley, Forest Service national director for Mississippi, said the agency appreciates a show of concern and prayers from across the nation and in South Mississippi
"We are hurting right now," Boley said.
