Search for Coast Guard helicopter continues off Newfoundland

[five_alarm]

MARYSTOWN, NL - Investigators are trying to find out why a Canadian Coast Guard helicopter went down off Newfoundland's Burin Peninsula on Wednesday, killing both crew members. Pilot Gord Simmons, 65, and technician Carl Neal, 46, were killed when the aircraft crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Marystown, N.L. The helicopter is still missing, although some debris has been recovered.

The coast guard has no idea what happened but says there was no issue with the pilot's age, or with the condition of the 22-year-old helicopter. Weather is also not considered to be a major factor in the accident. Coast guard officials say Simmons called colleagues as he was landing at Go By Point, a bit of rough terrain at the ocean's edge. No one lives there, however there is a landing pad and a navigational tower. Simmons and Neal were scheduled to do maintenance work.

Source: cbc.ca (http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/12/08/helicoptecrashr051208.html)

[boots08]

Sounds like the bermuda triangle or something!!!

My deepest sympathys with the families of those who were lost but how does an aircraft just crash for no reason?????

[five_alarm]

MARYSTOWN, NL - Some high-tech help is being made available to locate a helicopter that crashed last week off the Burin Peninsula. Pilot Gordon Simmons and technician Carl Neal died of hypothermia or drowning after their Canadian Coast Guard MBB-105 crashed into icy waters off the coast.

The search for the missing helicopter has been slow, with onboard equipment not functioning properly. As well, crews have been hampered by bad weather. Turbulent seas kept divers and fast-rescue craft out of the water in the days immediately following the Dec. 7 crash. As well, winter storms on the mainland slowed the delivery of side scan underwater sonar equipment, which provides an enhanced image of the ocean floor.

Brian Penney, regional superintendent with the Canadian Coast Guard, says the mission has turned a corner, with one ship fitted with the equipment as of Wednesday, and another ship scheduled to have it on Thursday.

Source: cbc.ca (http://www.cbc.ca/nl/story/nf_chopper_search_20051214.html)