Debris Also Found

The search for a helicopter lost in the Gulf of Mexico has ended on a sad note. Rescuers found four bodies in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday believed to have been among 10 people on a helicopter that disappeared overnight en route to an oil exploration ship off the Texas coast. An offshore supply vessel assisting in the search discovered two bodies about 60 miles south of Galveston. A separate debris field and two additional bodies were then located nearby. The search continued for the other six people on the flight that left Galveston Tuesday. The helicopter carried a pilot, a co-pilot and eight workers.

The bodies and debris that included a life jacket with the name of helicopter owner Era Aviation Inc. were found 60 miles south of the island city of Galveston TX by an offshore supply ship and a Coast Guard cutter. The Coast Guard identified the pilot as Tim O'Neal of El Lago, but did not identify the co-pilot or the eight workers. The helicopter was chartered by the El Segundo (CA) based oil company Unocal.

The Coast guard reports that the Sikorsky S-76 helicopter left Galveston Tuesday evening with a crew of two and eight passengers. The pilot made his last radio contact around 7 p.m. CST (8 p.m. EST), reporting a position 90 miles south of the city. The helicopter was bound for the Discoverer Spirit, an 835-foot drill ship owned by offshore drilling contractor Transocean Inc., that was 130 miles east of South Padre Island, Texas.

FMI: www.era-aviation.com