# NTSB CEN09RA205: Sikorsky S-92A, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada, March 12, 2009

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · Fatal · Foreign investigation
- Date: March 12, 2009, 09:26 local (12:26 UTC)
- Place: St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada
- Highest injury: Fatal
- Injuries: 17 fatal, 1 serious
- Status: Led by another country's authority
- NTSB office: Central Region
- Lead agency: Other
- NTSB case key (mKey): 73482
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN09RA205
- NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/73482/pdf
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN09RA205

## Probable cause

Not required for RA.

## Analysis

Not required for RA.

## Factual narrative

On March 12, 2009, about 0926 ADT, Atlantic Daylight Time, a Sikorsky S-92A helicopter, Canadian registry C-GZCH, operated by Cougar Helicopters, impacted the waters of the North Atlantic about 28 miles east of Cape Spear near St. John's, Newfoundland. There were two pilots and 16 passengers on board the helicopter. One passenger survived with serious injuries, but the other occupants were fatally injured. The helicopter was en route from St. John's International Airport (CYYT) to an offshore oil platform in the Hibernia oil field. The pilot made a MAYDAY call due to a mechanical difficulty, and was returning to St. John's at the time of the accident. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and the sea state had 3 - 5 meter swells. An instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed. The investigation is under the jurisdiction of the Government of Canada. Any further information may be obtained from: Transportation Safety Board of Canada Place du Centre 200 Promenade du Portage, 4th Floor Gatineau, Quebec J8X 4B7 This report is for informational purposes only and contains only information released by or obtained for the Government of Canada.

## Aircraft

- Registration: G-GZCH (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: SIKORSKY S-92A
- Category: Helicopter
- Damage: Destroyed
- Flight: Non-U.S., commercial
- Operator: Cougar Helicopter Inc.
- Departed: CYYT, St. John's
- Destination: Hibernia
- Flight plan: IFR
- Airport: CYYT, St. John's International

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

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