Survivor Later Dies At USCG Station

ANN REALTIME UPDATE 12.11.08 1830 EST: Sadly, the lone person recovered alive following the Thursday morning downing of a helicopter in the Gulf of Mexico has succumbed to his injuries.

The Beaumont Enterprise reports the adult male passed away at the Sabine Pass Coast Guard Station, where he had been transported after US Coast Guard crews found him floating in the chilly waters off the coast of Sabine Pass, TX.

Search crews have since recovered two other bodies from the wreckage. Two people remain missing at this time, and hope they will be found alive has dwindled.

Original Report

1500 EST: Buoyed by the discovery of one survivor, search crews have mounted a massive effort to find four people still missing after a helicopter, type unreported, went down off the Texas Gulf coast Thursday morning.

News reports state the helicopter was reported down at 9:47 am CST, about two miles off the coast near Sabine Pass. The call came into local rescue personnel by the aircraft operator, Rotorcraft Leasing LLC, after the helo failed to report in.

The helicopter was carrying a pilot and four passengers, heading to an offshore oil rig about 18 miles from the coast. Coast Guard crews onboard an MH-65 Daulphin helicopter located debris in the water, along with one adult male survivor who was transported by boat to a nearby hospital. His condition is not known at this time.

Searchers are battling difficult conditions to locate signs of additional survivors. National Weather Service meteorologist Donovan Landreneau told KFDM-6 water temperatures at the accident site are about 62 degrees Fahrenheit, with strong, cold winds at the surface.

Rotorcraft operates a fleet of predominantly Bell helicopters, along with the Sikorsky S-76.

FMI: www.uscg.mil, www.rotorcraftleasing.net