Deadliest Helicopter Crash Compilation (CVR+ ATC Recordings)

Cougar Helicopters Flight 91 was a scheduled flight of a Cougar Sikorsky S-92A (Registration C-GZCH) which ditched on 12 March 2009 en route to the SeaRose FPSO in the White Rose oil field and Hibernia Platform in the Hibernia oilfield off the coast of Newfoundland 55 kilometres (34 mi) east-southeast of St. John's, Newfoundland. Of the eighteen aboard, only one survived.

Pilot Matthew William Thomas Davis, 34, of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, and First Officer Timothy Ross Lanouette, 47, of Comox, British Columbia, both died in the accident. Of the 15 passengers killed in the accident, 13 were from Newfoundland and Labrador while one each was from Nova Scotiand British Columbia.

The sole surviving passenger sustained serious injuries in the crash. Corporate Jets N89SM Crash On December 18th, 2000, an Aérospatiale SA365 of Corporate Jets Inc. was conducting a post-maintenance track and balance flight of N89SM.

The pilot stated that a pre-flight inspection was conducted, the fluids were checked, and the cowlings were closed and secured before the flight. In flight after conducting several maneuvers, the pilot noticed he had no anti-torque pedal control, he declared an emergency and attempted numerous approaches on two different runways. Every time the helicopter slowed to 80-100 knots the nose would swing left.

During the final approach, while nearing touchdown on the runway, the pilot added collective and the helicopter climbed while spinning to the left. The pilot reduced power and the helicopter descended and impacted the ground while still in a left spin. The cause of the accident was insufficient lubrication within the tail rotor gearbox, which resulted in the seizure of the duplex ball bearing and a fixed pitch setting of the tail rotor.

The pilot's loss of control was the result of a relatively low speed / high power combination during the go-around attempt. Another factor was the manufacturer's lack of procedures for fixed tail rotor pitch settings. The pilot's inadvertent disabling of the No.

1 and No. 2 engines' electronic engine control systems, which resulted in engine and rotor overspeed conditions, a subsequent autorotation, and a hard landing. Contributing to the accident were the pilot's inexperience with the helicopter variant and the operator’s lack of a more robust helicopter differences training program.

The pilot of the helicopter departed for a visual flight rules cross-country flight but returned to the airport shortly after takeoff upon encountering instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), which had been forecast. The pilot elected to depart again under special visual flight rules after hearing another pilot report indicating that the ceiling was between 800 and 1,000 ft. The helicopter was not equipped for flight in IMC.