A pilot and a crew member of a National Airborne Service Corps (NASC) helicopter died yesterday afternoon after the helicopter crashed into rough seas off Taiwan’s northern coast during post-rescue operations involving a cargo ship.
As of press time last night, the copilot of the AS365 Dauphin helicopter, 46-year-old Chu Yao-chung (朱耀忠), was fighting for his life at Taipei Veterans General Hospital after sustaining serious injuries in the crash.
There were five men on board the helicopter when it crashed into the sea just off the coast of New Taipei City’s Shimen District (石門) in heavy weather at 1:18pm: pilot Lin Chen-hsin (林振興), 47; Chu; aircraft technician Hsu Yi-yang (許翊揚); and two NASC rescue team members, Tsai Tsung-ta (蔡宗達), 34, and Shih Ming-chieh (施銘杰), 33.
Photo: CNA
A rescue operation was launched immediately, involving Coast Guard Administration units and four NASC helicopters, which were able to retrieve the men within 90 minutes.
The dead men have been identified as Lin and Tsai.
The New Taipei City Fire Department said Tsai might have been struck by the helicopter’s rotor.
Photo: CNA
He was sent to the Chinshan (金山) branch of National Taiwan University Hospital, but could not be saved.
Doctors at Taipei Veterans General Hospital said they were doing their best to save Chu, who was suffering from hypothermia from his time in the cold seawater, adding that he has been hooked up to extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation equipment.
The downed helicopter was assisting in post-rescue operations involving a cargo ship belonging to TS Lines Co (德翔海運), which lost power in rough seas on Thursday and ran aground on a shallow reef about 300m offshore with 21 people aboard.
Coast guard ships and NASC helicopters were dispatched to rescue the crew and had evacuated all crew members to land as of Thursday afternoon.
However, the vessel was leaking fuel and the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) dispatched a team of technicians and inspectors to verify the extent of the oil spill and pollution to the coastal area.
The downed helicopter was returning after ferrying EPA technicians to the ship when it was reportedly hit by a high wave and spiraled into the sea.
Premier Simon Chang (張善政) visited the hospitals last night to express the government’s condolences to Lin’s and Tsai’s families.
“We will provide the highest level of compensation for the victims’ families, because they died in line of duty. An investigation will be carried out by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Commission to determine the cause of the accident and the parties responsible for the incident,” Chang said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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