Schweizer 269C-1, Gulf Coast Helicopters, Inc., N1549W: Fatal accident occurred August 03, 2016 in Atchafalaya Basin, Iberia Parish, Louisiana
GULF COAST HELICOPTERS INC: http://registry.faa.gov/N1549W
Those who may have information that might be relevant to the National Transportation Safety Board investigation may contact them by email eyewitnessreport@ntsb.gov, and any friends and family who want to contact investigators about the accident should email assistance@ntsb.gov.
The body of the helicopter pilot has been found, Sheriff Louis Ackal said.
The body was found in the Atchafalaya Basin after the helicopter crashed Wednesday. The wreckage was found just after 9:30 a.m. this morning, and the body was found shortly afterward, the sheriff said. The pilot was the only person on board and was doing pipeline inspections, the sheriff said.
The victim's identity has not yet been released. Authorities identify him as a 29-year-old male.
The wreckage was found nose down in the swamp, about 14 nautical miles east north east of Jeanerette, the FAA said Thursday morning. FAA Inspectors are on their way to the crash, and the National Transportation Safety Board has been notified. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation.
The helicopter is owned by Texas-based Gulf Coast Helicopters, Inc.
UPDATE 9:55
According to Sheriff Louis Ackal the helicopter that crashed in the Atchafalaya basin Wednesday was discovered this morning. Search crews are back out today looking for the pilot.
UPDATE:
Right now, rescue crews are on the scene of a civilian helicopter crash in Iberia Parish.
According to Sheriff Louis Ackal, the crash happened in the Atchafalaya Basin in the Iberia Parish panhandle. Ackal says at least one person is in the water. He says Iberia and St. Mary Parish sheriff's deputies, Wildlife and Fisheries agents, and Coast Guard officials are on the scene searching for wreckage and the people on board the helicopter. Louisiana State Police is also joining the search, using their helicopter to track heat signatures in the water.
Initially, Sheriff Ackal said the helicopter involved was an Air Force helicopter. However, FAA records show the helicopter is registered to Gulf Coast Helicopters, Inc., a private helicopter rental company based in Pearland, Texas. Sheriff Ackal later told us that he was initially told the aircraft was a military helicopter, but he later learned that it was a privately-owned craft.
A company representative who answered Gulf Coast Helicopter's emergency phone number said the company has no comment. That representative declined to give his name and position.
The Federal Aviation Administration tells KATC that the helicopter was reported missing around 4 p.m. Wednesday. The helicopter was flying from Gonzales to Patterson when it went missing.
Capt. Brian Vallier with the Louisiana wing of the Air Force Auxiliary says no civil air patrol personnel were on board the air craft.
Source: http://www.katc.com
Date:
03-AUG-2016
Time: 16:00
Type:
Schweizer 269C-1
Owner/operator: Gulf Coast Helicopters Inc
Registration: N1549W
C/n / msn: 0219
Fatalities: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities: 0
Airplane damage: Unknown
Location: Atchafalaya Basin, Iberia Parish, LA -
United States of America Phase: Unknown
Nature: Survey
Departure airport: Louisiana Rgnl (L38)
Destination airport: Williams Memorial (KPTN)
Narrative:
The pipeline inspection aircraft impacted swamp in the Atchafalaya Basin ENE of Jeanerette, Louisiana. The helicopter sustained unreported damage and the pilot was killed
Sources:
http://www.kathrynsreport.com/search?updated-max=2016-08-04T16:02:00-04:00&max-results=1
http://klfy.com/2016/08/04/sheriff-crashed-helicopter-found-in-atchafalaya-basin-near-iberiast-mary-parish-line/
http://flightaware.com/resources/registration/N1549W
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atchafalaya_Basin
================
Pilot killed in helicopter crash identified
By Emily Giangreco Published: August 4, 2016, 9:58 am Updated: August 4, 2016, 8:09 pm
UPDATE: According to Sheriff Louis Ackal the identity of the pilot killed in last nights helicopter crash was identified as, 29-year-old Casey Clark.
LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) – Authorities in south Louisiana recovered the body of a 29-year-old pilot in the wreckage of a helicopter Thursday that disappeared while doing a pipeline survey.
Iberia Parish Sheriff Louis Ackal did not release the pilot’s name.
Ackal said the wreckage was found in the swamps of the Atchafalaya Basin, south of Baton Rouge, about 100 yards from the pipeline the pilot was flying over.
“The Federal Aviation Administration has been notified the crash involved a fatality and investigators are on their way to the scene,” Ackal said.
Chief Criminal Deputy Sheriff Richard Hazelwood said the pilot of a state police helicopter spotted the wreck and directed authorities on the ground to the crash site.
“Rescuers used boats to get close to the site and then had to walk in 2 to 3 feet of water to reach the wreckage,” Hazelwood said.
The helicopter disappeared Wednesday afternoon after leaving Gonzales, Louisiana.
“The aircraft was scheduled to refuel in Patterson, Louisiana, about 12:30 p.m., but never arrived,” Hazelwood said.
The civil air patrol began a search for the overdue helicopter about 2 p.m. and “the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office was notified about the missing aircraft about 7 p.m.,” he said.
Deputies from neighboring St. Mary Parish, state wildlife personnel and the U.S. Coast Guard assisted in the search.
The helicopter is owned by Gulf Coast Helicopters, Inc., he said.
A call to the Pearland, Texas company by The Associated Press was not immediately returned.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
NEW IBERIA, La. (KLFY) – Sheriff Louis Ackal tells News 10 that the helicopter that crashed last night in Atchafalaya Basin has been located near the Iberia Parish/St. Mary Parish line.
Authorities are currently searching throughout the wreckage but there is no sign of the pilot.
Chief Criminal Deputy Richard Hazelwood said the helicopter disappeared Wednesday afternoon in the basin south of Baton Rouge, after leaving Gonzales to do a pipeline survey, according to The Associated Press.
The aircraft was scheduled to refuel in Patterson, Louisiana, about 12:30 p.m., but never arrived, Hazelwood said.
The civil air patrol began a search for the overdue helicopter about 2 p.m. and then notified Hazelwood’s office about the missing aircraft around 7 p.m.
Deputies from Iberia and St. Mary Parish sheriff’s offices are involved in the search, along with state wildlife personnel and the U.S. Coast Guard.
Hazelwood said the helicopter is owned by Gulf Coast Helicopters, Inc.
KLFY’s Emily Giangreco is in Iberia Parish and will have a live update at noon on Meet Your Neighbor. This story will be updated when more information is available.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Gulf Coast Helicopters, Inc. (GCH)
PATROL & INSPECTION SERVICES. PIPELINE INSPECTION SERVICES
TRANSMISSION AND GATHERING PIPELINES
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