Ferry chopper ditches in Atlantic with 18 on board

[Nfld Sapper]

News Releases

C-NLOPB REACTS TO LOSS OF COUGAR’S FLIGHT 491
For Immediate Release
March 13, 2009

The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB), issued the following statement in relation to the loss of Cougar’s Flight 491 and its fifteen passengers and two crew on route from St. John’s to the Hibernia Platform and the Sea Rose FPSO.

The C-NLOPB Board and staff wish to express deepest sympathies to the families, friends and co-workers of the passengers and crew aboard Cougar’s Flight 491. This tragedy affects all who work in the offshore oil and gas sector and all of us as Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. Our hearts and prayers go out to them.

The C-NLOPB has been working very closely with responding agencies since the incident occurred and monitoring search and rescue efforts. The ditching of Cougar’s Flight 491 is an air accident and the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) are the lead agencies in the investigation of this incident. The C-NLOPB will fully cooperate with these agencies in the investigation. The C-NLOPB will also be an observer during the recovery operation. If there are lessons to be learned from this event for the C-NLOPB, we will ensure those lessons are implemented.

The C-NLOPB has regulatory responsibility for safety on oil and gas facilities operating in the Newfoundland and Labrador offshore area. The C-NLOPB verifies that operators have appropriate Safety Plans in place. The guidelines for the development of the Safety Plan are on the Board’s website (http://www.cnlopb.nl.ca/safe_leg.shtml). The basic safety requirements for working on an offshore oil and gas facility include:

Successful completion of a medical exam
Completion of a basic offshore survival course
Personnel must use certified personal protective equipment and apparel when working offshore
Also, personnel are provided with a flight suit which must be worn during transport.
The C-NLOPB is committed to overseeing offshore oil and gas activities to verify that safety is the first priority in offshore operations.

 

MEDIA CONTACT:

Sean Kelly APR
Manager, Public Relations
(709) 778-1418
(709) 689-0713 (cell)
skelly@cnlopb.nl.ca

 

[SeaKingTacco]

One of those was 48-year-old Comox native, Tim Lanouette. He was the flight's first officer. A veteran of the Canadian forces, Lanouette previously flew Sea King helicopters with 443 Maritime helicopter squadron based out of Victoria. According to a posting online - Lanouette had four children and had recently moved from the island to Manitoba.

Sad day.  I flew with Tim on 443 Sqn.  He was a gentleman and all-round good guy. Although he had left the military, he will be missed by many of us still serving.

 

[Nfld Sapper]

B.C. helicopter pilot remembered for his big personality


By Mary Frances Hill, Vancouver SunMarch 15, 2009 9:01 PM

B.C. helicopter pilot Tim Lanouette.
Photograph by: ., .

VANCOUVER — Tim Lanouette was a fun-loving musician and pilot and a perfectionist who’d been obsessed with flying for most of his adult life, according to friends who worked and played with him in his formative years.

Lanouette, a Comox native and pilot with Cougar Helicopters, was one of two men operating the Sikorsky S-92 helicopter that crashed off the coast of Newfoundland carrying 14 workers to a Hibernia offshore oil platform in the North Atlantic.

The remains of two passengers have been recovered. Robert Decker, the lone survivor, is in critical but stable condition in a Newfoundland hospital.

Lanouette, 46, and First Officer Thomas Anyll, 48, of Langley, were the sole British Columbians on board the flight. The rest all hailed from Newfoundland.

Cougar Helicopters, a subsidiary of Victoria’s VIH Aviation Group, provides shuttle services for crews flying from St. John’s, NL, to offshore oil platforms.

Lanouette joined Cougar Helicopters after a long career in the Canadian Armed Forces, where he trained and worked as a pilot.

A woman who answered the phone at Anyll’s home refused to talk to The Vancouver Sun.

Benjamin Barby of Owen Sound, Ont., toured with Lanouette in the early 1990s as part of the Vimy Band, a 90-member travelling band from the Canadian Forces base in Kingston, Ont.

Both played the bass trombone, “a big, solid, heavy loud instrument” that was fitting for the young Lanouette, Barby said.

Even as a newcomer to the military, Lanouette dreamed of being in the cockpit, he said.

“Even on the touring band he would be talking about changing professions. He just loved to fly... I know that as both a musician and a pilot he took his work very seriously.”

Lanouette grew up in a small rural area outside Comox. His mother worked as a legal secretary and his family is very close-knit, according to Comox Mayor Paul Ives.

Lanouette, who previously flew Sea King helicopters with 443 Maritime helicopter squadron based out of Victoria, had recently moved to Manitoba.

An avid hockey player and father of four, Lanouette returned to his hometown every two years to fly in Comox’s air show.

“I imagine over the next days or weeks we’ll hear more about Tim and the role he played in this community... We understand the grief [loved ones in Newfoundland] have been going through,” said Ives.

The Vancouver Sun's deputy managing editor Paul Bucci worked with Lanouette when they were both military musicians with the Royal Canadian Regiment Band in CFB Gagetown.

“Tim had a background as a transport driver, and he took moving people around really seriously,” Bucci said. “It was an easy leap in logic to see him become a military pilot.”

Rick Rangno, a professional trumpet player who retired from the Canadian military two years ago, met Lanouette in 1988 in Gagetown.

“When a friend of mine told me about [Lanouette’s death], it was like getting kicked in the stomach,” he said in a telephone interview from his Ottawa home.

“Tim could always find humour in the situation — either the bright side or the fun part of the dark side. He loved music, but when he got accepted into pilot training [in 1992], he was ecstatic.

“He’s the type of person you would run into after a few years of being away, and it would be just like you saw him yesterday.”

mfhill@vancouversun.com

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

 

[Good2Golf]

RIP to all lost in this tragedy.  RIP Tim.

 

[EuroCanuck]

Lanouette returned to his hometown every two years to fly in Comox’s air show.

...That really gets me thinking, knowing that I might've met the guy or seen him perform in real life..
Maybe you people already in the forces are use to it - but it sure hit me harder reading that sentence than hearing on the news "-- dead in ---- -----", almost everyday.

 

[Sub_Guy]

When this happened I mentioned to my wife that while I was at 443 doing OJT, there was a Pilot who left to fly with Cougar Helicopters.  I was saddened to find his name in the paper yesterday, my thoughts are with his family.

RIP

 

[Figment]

RIP old friend. I flew with Tim Lanouette while at 423 Sqn. He was one of the most positive people that you'll ever meet. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and many friends. Thank you for your service to Canada. 

 

[magnumcharger]

I hate to say it....but I now find out that one person on that helicopter was a former Canadian Forces NDT technician, such as I am now.
Ken MacRae was well known and liked in the NDT community.
Like most of us in this trade, we go to where the work is, including off-shore platforms.

My deepest sympathies go out to his wife Tracey at this time.

 

[Nfld Sapper]

Bodies of Nine Crash Victims Brought to St. John's
March 16, 2009


Nine bodies recovered from the Cougar helicopter have been transported to St. John's. They were brought to shore early this morning on board the Atlantic Osprey. It was just shortly before 3 o'clock this morning, when three hearses left the Coast Guard base, escorted by the RNC. It was their first of three trips. The recovered bodies were removed from the Atlantic Osprey three at a time, and transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Simon Avis.  RCMP Sergeant  Wayne Newell says the Osprey arrived at the base about 1:15 this morning, and returned to the recovery mission once all of the bodies were transported. Sergeant Newell says at this time, they are unsure of how many bodies may still be inside. The RCMP are expected to have more to say this morning.

Meanwhile the family of the pilot have released his name. 34 year old Captain Matthew William Thomas Davis was from St. John's.

Plans are being made for an ecumenical prayer service for the family and friends of the passengers and crew of the helicopter crash. The service will take place 7pm Wednesday at the Basilica in St. John's. It is open to the public.

The Mayor of St John's says he is still in disbelief. Dennis O'Keefe says just a few weeks ago he ran into his former student Colin Henley, one of the crash victims. He says Henley was a great young man with a wonderful family who was positive and exuberant .

The Mayor of Fortune Alex Noseworthy says there has been a cloud over the town since Thursday. Two of the victims, Burch Nash and Wade Drake, are from the area. Noseworthy told VOCM Night Line with Ryan Cleary it's a very sad situation.  He says flags around the town are at half mast. Noseworthy says they will make arrangements for services when the family returns from St John's.

Random - Burin - St. George's MP Judy Foote offered her condolences and support to those affected. Foote says it's been a sad few days. Foote says it's been very hard; very hard on the families, and very hard on the communities. She says prayers and thoughts go out to the victims.

St. John's East MP Jack Harris says as Newfoundlanders and Labradorians we know the dangers that come with working offshore, but it certainly doesn't ease the pain.

The Transportation Safety Board's lead investigator, Mike Cunningham, indicates their probe of the crash continues. Cunningham appears confident they will find out what led to the crash. He admits dealing with such an incident is not easy.

 

[STONEY]

Another reason the military will follow the cause of this crash is that this A/C
is a civil version of the long awaited Cyclone.  Is the failed component common to both.

 

[Nfld Sapper]

Bodies of All Crash Victims Recovered
March 17, 2009


There's an update coming this afternoon from the Transportation Safety Board on the status of the recovery mission off Newfoundland following the crash of Cougar flight 491. All of the people who were on board have now been accounted for as the Atlantic Osprey brought in the last seven bodies early this morning. Nine came in yesterday morning. One body was recovered from the water on Thursday and the lone survivor , Robert Decker, remains in critical but stable condition at the Health Sciences. The TSB now switches its focus to the recovery of the wreckage lying on the ocean floor 178 meters down. The fuselage is intact but there was considerable break-up on impact with the tail boom having broken away. A couple of the doors have already been recovered. The board has said that it hopes to finish the recovery mission by week's end. Most of the components pulled from the water will be transported to Ottawa.

Cougar has suspended its use of the Sikorsky helicopter until they learn more about what happened last Thursday. Spokesman Hank Williams says companies around the world are monitoring the situation here.

Funeral arrangements have been finalized for another of the victims of the Cougar helicopter crash. Derrick Mullowney of Bay Bulls was 51. He worked with East Coast Catering. Mr. Mullowney left behind a wife and daughter. He will be resting at Ryan's Funeral Home in Bay Bulls tomorrow and Thursday from  2-9pm. The funeral will take place Friday at 11am at Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Bay Bulls.

A funeral home in Grand Falls - Windsor is offering area residents the opportunity to sign a memorial registry in honour of the 17 victims of the Cougar helicopter crash. The public can sign the registry at Sunset Memorial Funeral Home between 10 and 4 and 7 to 9 tomorrow, online condolences are also being accepted. The registry will then forwarded to the families affected by the tragedy.

The MHA for Ferryland district says the entire region is suffering in the wake of the Cougar Helicopters tragedy. Keith Hutchings joined hundreds at the funeral of 26 year old Allison Maher of Aquaforte. Hutchings says it's a very difficult time for all.

A teacher is remembering two students lost in the tragedy. Dolores Hynes taught Allison Maher and remembers her as a bright, helpful student, full of life, and always ready to help her fellow students. Hynes also taught 32-year-old Wade Duggan of Witless Bay who died in the crash.

The head of the Roman Catholic community in this province says support for the families affected by the Cougar Helicopter crash must continue well into the future. Archbishop Martin Currie says communities and congregations across Newfoundland and Labrador should rise to the challenge of continuous support.

The Moderator of the United Church of Canada has written a letter expressing the church's condolences to the families, friends and communities of the victims of the Cougar crash. The Right Reverend David Giuliano writes, " that words alone cannot heal the profound grief you must be feeling. However, it may be some comfort to know that across the country many are holding you in love. Hearts are reaching out to you in this great shock and sadness. Many Canadians are whispering prayers for St. John's, for small communities across Newfoundland, and for the dear souls who have been lost at sea. And on behalf of The United Church of Canada, please accept the deepest sympathies of our members across the land." The letter also notes the church is praying for the recovery of the lone survivor, Robert Decker and acknowledges the families in Nova Scotia and British Columbia that are suffering the loss of their loved ones in the crash.

The Royal Canadian Legion in the province will be paying tribute to the victims of the Cougar crash. Speaking on VOCM Open Line with Randy Simms, Provincial President, Dave Flannigan, says at the Annual Executive Council meeting this weekend it was discovered that several Legion members were connected to some of the crash victims

 

[Nfld Sapper]

Another reason the military will follow the cause of this crash is that this A/C
is a civil version of the long awaited Cyclone.  Is the failed component common to both.

Lets wait until the TSB releases info about what happened.

 

[Nfld Sapper]

Now not the time to debate N.L. search and rescue readiness: MacKay
Last Updated: Tuesday, March 17, 2009 | 1:09 PM NT
CBC News

Defence Minister Peter MacKay said Tuesday he would prefer to discuss search and rescue issues after a memorial is held for those killed in the Cougar helicopter crash. (Mike Dembeck/Canadian Press)

Canada's defence minister is setting aside calls, at least for now, for greater search and rescue service in eastern Newfoundland, in the wake of a helicopter crash that killed 17 people last Thursday.

Peter MacKay told reporters in Halifax on Tuesday that it is too early to talk about whether search and rescue services need to be beefed up.

However, St. John's Coun. Tom Hann said the crash of the Cougar Helicopters aircraft proves the need for a search and rescue unit at the St. John's airport.

Last Thursday, there were no Cormorant helicopters in Newfoundland and Labrador to respond to the aircraft that crashed about 55 kilometres southeast of St. John's, leaving one survivor. Robert Decker, an ice spotter on an offshore oil platform, was rescued by another Cougar chopper.

Cormorant helicopters from Newfoundland and Labrador were in Cape Breton that day, on a training exercise. Military officials said it took an extra hour for the Cormorants to arrive on the scene. The nearest Cormorant is normally based in Gander.

Hann said he would like to see recommendations of a royal commission that studied the 1982 sinking of the Ocean Ranger — a rig that toppled in a severe winter storm, killing all 84 aboard — enacted, with greater search and rescue coverage for offshore oil workers.

"I think these people, who are totally professional, need more support. They need more resources," said Hann, who will be raising the issue at Tuesday evening's council meeting.

A St. John's city councillor wants search and rescue capability, including Cormorant helicopters, to be stationed in the city. (CBC)

"If we had a station in St. John's and probably more resources around our coastline, it would be better for them, and better backup, and so on."

MacKay noted Tuesday that the first assistance was on the scene within 45 minutes.

"There's always contingencies in place and in fact another Cougar aircraft was the first helicopter to arrive," MacKay said.

"All of that, and the forensics, the discussion around response time, I think is more appropriately dealt with at a time after this memorial service and when we can respect the grieving families [and] support them through this period and get all the information readily available, before we start to do a full public discussion on the subject."

An ecumenical service is scheduled for Wednesday evening at the Roman Catholic Basilica of St. John the Baptist, in downtown St. John's. MacKay will be attending the service.

Last week, Premier Danny Williams said while he would welcome additional search and rescue capability, he thought that a faster arrival of Cormorants would not have affected the outcome.

 

[Nfld Sapper]

Public events for March 18, 2009
17 March 2009
Ottawa, Ontario


Public events for Prime Minister Stephen Harper for Wednesday, March 18th are:

St. John’s

7:00 p.m. – Prime Minister Stephen Harper will attend an ecumenical prayer service for the family and friends of the passengers of Cougar Flight 491.

Basilica Cathedral of St. John the Baptist
St. John’s, Newfoundland

NOTES:


All media inquiries should be directed to the Archdiocese of St. John’s: 709-726-3660 or ldohey@nf.aibn.com

 

[The Bread Guy]

A little more from the Canadian Press:

It's not the right time to debate whether Newfoundland's two Cormorant helicopters should be moved from Gander to the capital city of St. John's, Defence Minister Peter MacKay said Tuesday.

Some Newfoundlanders want the military aircraft transferred permanently to beef up search-and-rescue capabilities on the island's east coast, especially after last week's deadly crash of a privately owned helicopter in the Atlantic.

There's been concern over the fact that it took nearly two hours for the Cormorants to arrive on the scene.

But with a memorial service for the 17 crash victims set for Wednesday in Newfoundland, MacKay said those sorts of issues would have to wait.

"Issues related to this specific incident, I think we want to wait for an investigation with respect to the crash itself," MacKay told reporters after making an unrelated announcement at 12 Wing Shearwater, a Halifax-area air base.

"The discussion around response time, I think is more appropriately dealt with at a time after this memorial service and when we can respect the grieving families, support them through this period, and get all the information readily available before we start to do a full public discussion."....

 

[magnumcharger]

Chopper victim ‘East Coast man at heart’
Kings County oil platform analyst among those killed in crash off Nfld.; recovery efforts continue
By IAN FAIRCLOUGH Valley Bureau and The Canadian Press
Wed. Mar 18 - 6:17 AM
The family of Ken MacRae, the Kings County man killed in last week’s tragic helicopter crash off Newfoundland, says he was a proud father and true family man.

The family released a brief statement Tuesday through 14 Wing Greenwood, where Mr. MacRae was stationed for a time. He lived in Auburn.

Base spokesman Capt. Scott Spurr said family and friends are asking for privacy as they grieve and do not want to be contacted by the media, nor do they want to disclose when Mr. MacRae was based at Greenwood or with what section.

"They would like privacy while they try to deal with what has happened," he said.

The family said Mr. MacRae served for 23 years as an Aero engine technician and a non-destructive testing technician. After he retired, he joined FGG Inspections Inc. and was employed for six years as a senior analyst. He was part of the shutdown team that was sent to conduct regularly scheduled maintenance on the Husky Sea Rose oil platform.

Mr. MacRae was born in Halifax and was "an East Coast man at heart," his family said. He loved the outdoors and spending time with his wife, children, family and friends.

Meanwhile, the painstaking effort to collect the remains of the Sikorsky S92-A helicopter at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean took a major step forward Tuesday with the recovery of the aircraft’s black box, a device expected to unlock the mystery behind the sudden crash.

The chopper’s flight data and cockpit voice recorder, both contained in one case, were retrieved intact from the wreckage by an offshore supply ship and sent to Ottawa for analysis by the Transportation Safety Board’s engineering branch.

"I believe they’re in very good condition," lead investigator Mike Cunningham said.

"They’re pretty important, that’s just because of the amount of information that they contain."

Hours after the Atlantic Osprey vessel brought the final seven bodies of the 17 victims to port, it departed for the crash site and crews shifted their attention to determining what caused Cougar Flight 491 to plunge into the icy seas last week.

But with pieces of the fuselage scattered across the ocean floor, 178 metres below sea level, investigators face an arduous task.

"It’s literally in hundreds of pieces," Mr. Cunningham said.

Two remotely operated vehicles, tethered to a cage, will snare those remnants using mechanized arms and place them in a massive metal basket capable of storing the chopper and its components, he explained.

The various parts of the Sikorsky will be hoisted aboard the Atlantic Osprey and taken to St. John’s, N.L.

"Basically it’s a task of picking these things up one at a time, putting them in the basket and then eventually lifting the basket to surface, emptying it and repeating the process until we have everything we can get," Mr. Cunningham said.

"Just because of the fact that it’s not all in one piece . . . we’re looking at multiple lifts."

The recovery of evidence at the crash site, 65 kilometres southeast of St. John’s, should be complete within a few days, he said.

"The relatively small items that are unimportant . . . depending upon the time we have to work down there, might be left behind," he said.

Seventeen people died after the aircraft, owned by Cougar Helicopters, went down Thursday as it was ferrying workers to two offshore oil platforms.

Robert Decker, the sole survivor, is in a St. John’s hospital recovering from lung injuries and fractures. The RCMP hope to interview him later this week.

Cougar has indefinitely grounded its fleet in St. John’s, which services the province’s offshore oil sector.

Mr. Cunningham spoke with some relatives of the dead Tuesday after their bodies were taken to the province’s chief medical examiner’s office for post-mortems.

They were grateful that crews recovered all of the bodies within days of the crash so they could be given a measure of closure, he said.

A prayer service open to all faiths will be held today in St. John’s at the Roman Catholic Basilica Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Premier Danny Williams and Lt.-Gov. John Crosbie are to attend.

( ifairclough@herald.ca)

 

[Nfld Sapper]

Provincial government says memorial will be established for helicopter crash victims 
The Canadian Press


The Newfoundland government says a permanent memorial will be created for the 17 people who died in the recent helicopter crash off the province.
Premier Danny Williams made the announcement today in the legislature, but did not offer any details on the location or nature of the memorial.
The Sikorsky S-92A helicopter went down in the Atlantic off St. John’s on March 12 while taking workers out to offshore oil facilities.
One man survived the crash and has been recovering in hospital.
Meanwhile, the Transportation Safety Board will hold a news conference in St. John’s on Thursday to offer more details about the investigation into the crash.

 

[Nfld Sapper]

TSB releases more details of crash, investigation 

The Telegram


Officials with the Transportation Safety Board confirmed today that a bolt in the main gearbox failed during flight and resulted in a sudden loss of oil pressure prior to the crash of the Sikorsky S-92 A in the Atlantic Ocean off Newfoundland March 12.
The crash killed 17 of the 18 people onboard the Cougar helicopter, which was making its way to oil platforms on the Grand Banks.
TSB officials released the finding during a news briefing today at St. John’s International Airport.
“So far we cannot find any other anomaly that would account for that loss of oil pressure. However, there is further analysis and work to be done on how and why that stud broke,” said Mike Cunningham.
It was one of many new details released today as investigators continue their search into the cause of the deadly crash.
Roughly 95 per cent of the wreckage has been recovered from the ocean floor, and the gear box has been sent to Sikorsky headquarters in Connecticut for analysis.
Officials related a detailed chain events just prior to the crash, and noted the flight data recorder indicated oil pressure in the gear box had dropped to zero. There was also a power interruption prior to the crash which caused the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder to shut off.
The flight crew radioed they were preparing to ditch, and radar indicates the aircraft descended at roughly 1,000 feet per minute. Impact data indicates the helicopter hit the water with an impact 20 times the force of gravity.
TSB officials also corrected earlier information that the chopper had crashed nose-first. It now appears the craft crashed “belly-down,” with the tail hitting first.
Cunningham also explained that 70 per cent of the worldwide fleet of Sikorsky S-92 A helicopters have now had these studs replaced.
He cautioned that the investigation is still in its early stages.

 

[PMedMoe]

Newfoundland company orders S-92 pilots to remain below 7,000 feet
Article Link

An investigation by Globe reporter Peter Cheney finds gearbox oil loss was a factor in at least four emergencies involving the Sikorsky
S-92 since 2004

More than two months after a crash that killed 17 people, Sikorsky S-92 helicopters operated by a Newfoundland charter company are set to fly again, but with new altitude restrictions prompted by concerns with the main gearbox, a critical component that can stop the rotor blades. According to a memo distributed to offshore oil workers, S-92s operated by Cougar Helicopters will not be allowed to fly above 7,000 feet, reducing the time required to make an emergency landing in case of gearbox problems.

The altitude limit is the latest development in an investigative saga that has engulfed the Sikorsky S-92 since March 12, when a Cougar S-92 went down off the Newfoundland coast. Gearbox oil loss has emerged as the likely cause. A Globe and Mail investigation has revealed a troubling history of S-92 gearbox leaks, and raised questions about the way the helicopter met an advanced safety standard.

According to records obtained by The Globe, the Newfoundland crash is the fourth known emergency involving lubrication loss in an S-92 gearbox. Helicopter experts consider this record particularly troubling given the design's limited track record - Sikorsky has sold just 100 S-92s since the helicopter first came to the market in 2004.

More on link

 

[Nfld Sapper]

And now Danny Williams wades in on the (apparent) lack of SAR Assets in NL.

Williams makes case to PM for St. John's search base
Last Updated: Tuesday, June 16, 2009 | 7:15 AM NT CBC News

Premier Danny Williams has asked Prime Minister Stephen Harper to consider staffing a full-time search and rescue squadron in St. John's. (CBC)

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams has added his name to the list of people seeking a full-time search and rescue squadron to serve the offshore oil industry.

A letter that Williams wrote to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, asking that the federal government consider an around-the-clock search and rescue presence on the island's east coast, was tabled Monday evening at the regular meeting of St. John's city council.

Council has been advocating for a full-time squadron since a Cougar Helicopters aircraft crashed in March, killing 17 people while it was performing a routine mission to carry workers to two offshore oil platforms.

In his letter, Williams acknowledges the courage and bravery that a Cougar rescue crew displayed after the crash.

Williams said the fact that a rescue squadron based in Gander had been out of the province at the time of the crash may have negatively affected the rescue effort. The crew was on a training exercise in Cape Breton, which added more than an hour to the response time.

The Cougar crew hoisted the sole survivor of the crash to safety before a military Cormorant helicopter was able to arrive on the scene.

Williams wrote that even if the 103 Squadron from Gander had been available, it is located hundreds of miles from the east coast of Newfoundland and even further from the platforms working in the offshore oil industry.

Williams noted that Justice Alec Hickman, who wrote a royal commission report into the 1982 sinking of the oil rig Ocean Ranger, had recommended that a full-time search and rescue helicopter be stationed in St. John's.

Williams told Harper that governments need to do everything in their power to ensure offshore workers and all others at sea have access to all available resources in the event of an offshore accident.

Williams said a search and rescue crew in St. John's, in addition to the one in Gander, is needed for the growing offshore oil and gas industry.

To date, the federal government has said that the current search and rescue arrangements in Newfoundland and Labrador are sufficient.