One confirmed dead in Cougar Helicopters Sikorsky S-92 downing

By John Croft

Newfoundland-based Cougar Helicopters says one of the 18 passengers on board a company S-92 enroute to two oil platforms off the Atlantic coast is confirmed dead while the search continues for 16 others in a debris field that stretches 6nm from the crash site, 47nm south southeast of the St. John's International Airport, the depature point for the flight and Cougar's home base.

One survivor was airlifted back to land earlier today and was listed in critical but stable condition.

The crew of the S-92 issued a distress call regarding mechanical problems at 0918h local time to the Gander air traffic control centre, which then alerted rescue services.

Officials say two life rafts had been inflated, but both were empty.

Data from flight tracking service FlightAware.com shows that the twin-engine heavy helicopter had turned back toward St. Johns before ditching.

Rescue officials have said the passengers equipped with survival suits could survive 24h or more in the near-freezing water temperatures.

The accident is the second for the S-92 and perhaps the first fatal. An S-92 carrying Rev. Sun Myung Moon crashed in South Korea in July 2008 due to severe weather conditions. None of the 16 people on board were killed.

Cougar was the Canadian launch customer for the S-92, following US-based Petroleum Helicopters.