Coast Guard ends search after overdue boater is found deceased near Cobb Island, Md.

 

 APRIL 13, 2015

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND

The Coast Guard ended its search Monday for an overdue boater after a body was recovered near Westmoreland State Park in Montross, Virginia.

Deceased is Douglas Romano.

The Coast Guard began its search for Romano after receiving a report stating Romano failed to return from a trip to Westmoreland State Park in Montross, Virginia, Sunday.

Coast Guard Sector Baltimore issued an urgent marine information broadcast and launched a 29-foot Response boat-Small II boat crew from Coast Guard Station St. Inigoes and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, New Jersey.

A Station St. Inigoes boat crew located an unresponsive person in the water at approximately 2 p.m. The crew took the person aboard and transferred him to emergency medical services personnel waiting on shore. The person in the water was identified as Romano by Maryland Natural Resource Police and pronounced deceased by a medical examiner.

The Coast Guard searched for approximately seven hours.

Personnel from the Department of Natural Resources, Westmoreland State Park, Westmoreland County Sherif’s Department, Charles County, Virginia Marine Resources Commission and Maryland State Police also assisted in the search.

Coast Guard rescues 7 beset by weather in Lake Ontario

 


APRIL 14, 2015
 
CLEVELAND, OHIO

The Coast Guard rescued seven people Monday night in two separate cases on Lake Ontario after they were beset by weather.

At 7 p.m., off-duty Coast Guard Fireman Jaiden Gray, a crew member of Coast Guard Station Oswego, New York, was at Rudy’s Lakeside Drive- In, in Oswego, and noticed four teens on an inflatable raft struggling to make it back to shore due to the inclement weather. Gray then notified the watchstander at the station of the four teens in distress.

A rescue crew aboard a 25-foot response boat launched from the station and brought the four teens aboard the boat and towed the inflatable raft to shore.
The teens did not have life jackets or paddles. They were also not dressed to enter the 37 degree water in case of an emergency.

At 7:20 p.m., the watchstander at Coast Guard Station Rochester, New York, received a phone call from a man in a disabled 20-foot boat with two others on Lake Ontario, two miles offshore near Ontario Beach Park.

A rescue crew aboard a 25-foot response boat launched from the station and towed them to the Port of Rochester.

“It is during this time of the year, when the warmer weather is drawing boaters onto the water, that boaters need to be mindful that water temperatures are still just above freezing,” said Cmdr. Dan Jones, chief of the Coast Guard Sector Buffalo, New York, Response Department. “When people plan on going out on the water, they should be prepared with the proper protective clothing and safety gear suitable for cold water temperatures.”

To help ensure a safe and enjoyable outing, boaters should follow these safety tips:

*             do not operate your boat or vessel while intoxicated,
*             be sure that everyone wears a life jacket and that it fits properly. In times of emergency, every second counts. Chances are, you won’t have time to look for and don your life jacket in times of emergencies. Also, be sure you have a life jacket for every passenger on board. Children under the age of 13 must wear a life jacket while on the deck of the boat at all times,
*             ensure all of your communications and emergency equipment is operable,
*             purchase and carry an emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) on board in the event of an emergency,
*             carry a GPS unit on board or, at a minimum, maintain knowledge of local waters,
*             have a properly working VHF-radio with Channel 16 capabilities,
*             know your location at all times to help expedite the Coast Guard’s response in an emergency,
*             tell a family member or friend your travel plans so that if you become overdue, someone can alert authorities,
*             be aware of changing weather patterns and listen to weather updates. Don’t get caught unprepared. Unpredictable storms can produce highs winds and heavy seas.

Coast Guard ends search for Horizon cruise ship passenger in the Caribbean Sea. Passenger was not found and is presumed dead.

APRIL 14, 2015

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO

Coast Guard rescue crews ended search efforts at 2p.m. Tuesday for a “Croisières de France” Horizon cruise ship passenger suspected of going overboard in the Caribbean Sea Monday morning, approximately 16 nautical miles south of Vieques, Puerto Rico. 

Still missing is Dominic William O’Carroll, a 67-year-old Irish citizen, who was found to be missing following a passenger count, after a crewmember reported seeing  person or large object going overboard early Monday morning. The Horizon was travelling from La Romana, Dominican Republic to the island of St. Maarten.

“The circumstances surrounding the disappearance of this passenger remain unclear,” said Capt. Robert Warren, Sector San Juan commander.  “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones during this most difficult time.”

William O’Carroll reportedly was last sighted by security cameras in several locations aboard the cruise ship prior to the incident.

Coast Guard watchstanders in Sector San Juan received notification of the incident from the Horizon at approximately 5a.m. Monday.  A Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen MH-65 Dolphin helicopter was launched and the Coast Guard Cutter Drummond was diverted to search.

Since the search began Monday morning, Coast Guard rescue crews conducted 12 air and surface searches covering an area of approximate 1,265 square nautical miles, an area approximately one third the size of Puerto Rico.

Coast Guard assets and rescue crews involved in the search are:

* MH-65 Dolphin helicopters from Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.
* The Coast Guard Cutter Drummond, a 110-foot patrol boat homeported in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
* A 33-foot Special Purpose Craft Law-Enforcement vessel from Coast Guard Boat Station San Juan and one from Coast Guard Boat Station St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
* A Civil Air Patrol and a Coast Guard Auxiliary aircraft.

Coast Guard, partners search for missing pilot near Perry Island, Alaska

 

     

APRIL 14, 2015

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA

Coast Guard and Air Force assets are searching for a missing pilot near Perry Island in Prince William Sound Tuesday.

The 11th Air Force Rescue Coordination Center in Anchorage received a Mayday call from the male pilot of a Cessna 180 airplane Tuesday afternoon. The pilot reported he was having engine trouble and stated he may have to set the plane down. 

RCC Anchorage contacted the Coast Guard Sector Anchorage command center who took the lead on search efforts and dispatched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew and HC-130 Hercules airplane crew from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak, a Coast Guard Station Valdez 45-foot response boat-medium crew, and the crews of the Coast Guard Cutter Mustang and Coast Guard Cutter Sycamore to the area of Perry Island. An Air Force 210th Rescue Squadron HH-60 Pavehawk helicopter crew and 211th Rescue Squadron HC-130 Hercules airplane crew from Anchorage, Alaska State Troopers and one good Samaritan vessel also joined the search.

“Our crews and assisting agencies are up against some extreme weather with this search, but the Coast Guard and its partners train year-round to locate and assist missing pilots, mariners and other members of their communities,” said Lt. Matthew Mitchell, Sector Anchorage search and rescue mission coordinator. 

“We also appreciate the assistance of any good Samaritans who can aid in the search or provide any information that might narrow down the search area.”
The weather on scene is reported to consist of blowing snow with 200 yards of visibility. Anyone who may have seen signs of the missing pilot or his plane is encouraged to contact the Coast Guard at 907-428-4100.

ENGINE POWER LOSS LED TO LOSS OF CONTROL ON FINAL APPROACH IN NOVEMBER 2013 FATAL AIRPLANE ACCIDENT IN RED LAKE, ONTARIO THAT KILLED 5 PEOPLE

14 APRIL 2015

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) today released its investigation report (A13C0150) into the November 2013 fatal aircraft accident in Red Lake, Ontario. Two flight crew members and 3 of the 5 passengers lost their lives when the aircraft crashed just south of the airport near a highway.

On 10 November 2013, a Bearskin Airlines Fairchild SA227 Metro III, on a flight from Sioux Lookout, Ontario, was on final approach to the Red Lake airport. The crew reported that they were 5 miles from the airport, and shortly thereafter declared an emergency. The aircraft struck trees along with some power lines, and was destroyed by a post-impact fire. Two passengers were able to evacuate the aircraft with non-life threatening injuries. 

The investigation found that the crew experienced a near total loss of power in the left engine at 500 feet above ground level due to a failure of an internal engine component. The crew was unable to identify the nature of the engine malfunction, preventing them from taking timely action to control the aircraft.

The aircraft’s landing configuration generated higher drag which, combined with the engine malfunction, resulted in the aircraft losing airspeed in an asymmetric power state. As the aircraft slowed, the crew lost control at an altitude from which a recovery was not possible. 

Following the occurrence, the aircraft operator revised its single engine and engine failure procedures to ensure that the propeller on a malfunctioning engine does not cause excessive drag. 

Honeywell, the engine manufacturer, increased the inspection frequency on fuel nozzles and clarified inspection procedures. Transport Canada issued a Civil Aviation Safety Alert regarding issues with the negative torque sensing (NTS) system on Honeywell TPE-331 engines, to emphasize the need to feather and secure propellers during engine power loss events.