June 28 tragedy: All 9 flyers exited copter safe, delayed rescue op likely cost 4 lives | India News

MUMBAI: The offshore accident near Mumbai High last month which cost four lives has raised questions about the rescue operation and its response time. TOI spoke to numerous sources who corroborated a narrative which suggests that the delay in the rescue mission amid rough sea conditions may have proved fatal. When the Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC) and the Coast Guard issued statements following the accident, what was missing from their narrative was the timeline of the rescue. “The four people died not because they didn’t come out of the helicopter safe, but because the rescue didn’t arrive on time,” said a source, requesting anonymity. A delayed mission combined with two other factors probably led to the fatalities, said sources.
Inclement weather had the sea in a swell with waves as high as 8-10 feet. “During monsoon, rescue should be completed within 30-45 minutes,” said another source. But the four people who died were picked up two-and-a-half hours after the helicopter ditched, said sources. Secondly, the helicopter had turned upside down soon after landing. The Sikorsky S-76D has two external life rafts. “The rafts detached on impact. The pilots tried to inflate it, but it didn’t function,” said a source.
A big question mark hangs over the allegedly protracted rescue time. TOI sent a questionnaire to ONGC and Coast Guard on Monday. Neither responded.
With nine people aboard, the Pawan Hans helicopter had ditched onto the sea between 11.35am and 11.40am, less than a kilometre away from the flight’s destination, the Sagar Kiran rig. The inclement weather with its strong winds had the sea in a swell and the helicopter turned upside down. But its floats deployed and kept the helicopter buoyant. “The Pawan Hans pilots and the ONGC staff could make their way out of the aircraft,” said sources. “From the rig, all the nine people in lifejackets afloat at sea were visible. No search operation was needed at that point, they only needed to be rescued from the stormy sea,” said sources. The two pilots managed to climb atop the floating helicopter and they pulled up three survivors. Four others floated around.
“About 20 minutes later a boat lowered from the ONGC Sagar Kiran rig reached the spot. It picked up the person closest to the rig and then turned back,” said a source. “People atop the topsy turvy helicopter shouted, whistled (whistle comes with the lifejacket) and pointed towards the three people on the other side of the inverted aircraft. But the boat didn’t return. Probably, they feared the boat would capsize,” said sources. “These three were finally picked up by naval helicopters after they spent two-and-a-half hours being lashed about in the briny waters. They didn’t survive,” sources said.
The next to arrive, an hour and half after the helicopter ditched was ONGC’s offshore supply vessel Malviya-16 — 72m long and 16m wide. The vessel’s turbulent wakes sent the helicopter rattling. “The five atop the helicopter were struggling to stay put on the helicopter. But one person slipped into the sea,” a source said. The four people atop the helicopter and the one rescued early on by the ONGC boat were the five who survived the accident.