Bird remains found on chopper’s windscreen

The National Transportation Safety Board announced last week that microscopic bird DNA was found on the pilot-side windscreen of the helicopter that crashed Jan. 4 in a Terrebonne Parish marsh, killing eight.

Bird feathers were also discovered on the right side windscreen seal and in the right side engine inlet filter, according to the NTSB.

In a press release, the NTSB said DNA testing revealed the bird was a hawk but did not specify what type.

Although the bird remains are not conclusive evidence as to what caused the crash, these are the most sufficient findings during the two-month investigation.

“It will take further analysis to determine when the hawk struck the helicopter,” said Ted Lopatkiewicz, NTSB spokesman. “This could have occurred sometime before the crash or after the helicopter already went down. That’s still weeks away from being determined.”

Investigators will compare the aircraft’s physical damage with other evidence before making a final judgment, he said.

The helicopter was en route to a platform in the Gulf of Mexico when it plunged into a marsh near Gibson about seven minutes after takeoff. The two pilots and six offshore contract workers for the Shell Oil Co. died in the crash. One passenger, also an offshore oil platform worker, survived the impact, but was left in critical condition.

According to Lopatkiewicz, the NTSB is still seven to 10 months from issuing a final report on the probable cause of the crash.

Investigators are reviewing the maintenance recorders, a cockpit voice recorder, flight data recorder and pieces of the aircraft debris retrieved from the crash site.

The original laminated glass windscreens in the Sikorsky S-76C helicopter were replaced by its operator, Lafayette-based Petroleum Helicopters Inc., about two years ago as part of their normal procedure, according to the NTSB.

The aircraft’s windscreens began cracking almost a year ago and were removed again. They were replaced with a lighter weight, cast acrylic windscreen that was approved by the Federal Aviation Administration.

According to Lopatkiewicz, a visual examination of the wreckage last month by a U.S. Department of Agriculture bird specialist did not spot any evidence of a bird strike.

The NTSB reported in early February that it had found no evidence of a bird strike on any mechanical system failures.

In a statement, the NTSB said last month that analysis of the helicopter’s cockpit voice recorders indicated a drop in RPMs and airspeed for 10 seconds as the aircraft descended.

The earlier statement also noted “a loud noise followed by a substantial increase in the background noise level was recorded … About one second after the loud noise, the torque of both engines drops simultaneously to near zero.”

National Transportation Safety Board investigators are looking into whether a hawk could have played a role in the Jan. 4 helicopter crash near Gibson that killed eight people. * File Photo

U.S. Coast Guard photograph