Case Study: Atlantic Destiny Case Study
In May 2021, a 150’ scallop processing ship caught fire and started taking on water in 20’+ seas and 40 kt. + winds in the vicinity of George’s Bank (approximately 200 nms east of Cape Cod and 100 nms south of Nova Scotia).
Despite these challenging conditions, 27 survivors were hoisted at night from the vessel, which was disabled and adrift without propulsion, though not all hoists were successful as a hoist system was damaged, and rescuers injured.
The two Coast Guard helicopter crews who participated in the mission, having had significant experience at the USCG’s Advanced Helicopter Rescue School, conducted 21 of the survivor hoists without incurring any hoist damage or personal injury. They credited previous experience in big seas and surf as the consequential contributing factor in their mission effectiveness. Here were some keys to success:
- Excellent crew coordination – the pilots called waves for the flight mechanic, keeping crew situational awareness of boat movement high.
- Anticipation – with high crew situational awareness of boat movement, the flight mechanics were able to anticipate the surging pitch and roll of the vessel.
- Slow, stable approaches – the flying pilots were able to maintain a slow and relatively stable approach to the vessel and avoided overshooting the target hoist area.
- Timing – the flying pilots’ slow, stable approach and avoidance of overshooting the target hoist area combined with the flight mechanic’s ability to anticipate the surge of the vessel and the movement of the survivors into an acceptable hoist position allowed them to time recoveries within this brief window.
- Trail line – a basket was used to hoist the survivors. The trail line remained on deck, which made the delivery of the empty basket for each hoist efficient and simple. As a best practice, the Canadian SAR Technicians onboard the vessel disconnected the hook from the basket after it was delivered and tended the hook with a trail line. While the survivor got in the basket, the hook dangled well clear of the vessel, decreasing workload for the helicopter crew and preventing the basket from being inadvertently pulled from the deck due to helicopter or boat movement. Once the survivor had traversed the pitching and rolling deck and was secure in the basket, the hook was reattached, and the hoist was conducted. In dynamic conditions in which appreciable time will elapse between delivering the basket and taking the load, disconnecting the hook and tending it with a trail line can significantly decrease risk when preparing the survivor to be hoisted.
Here is video of some of the hoists. The first few minutes (video taken from another aircraft) highlight the stable hover, as indicated by the boat moving under the helicopter. The ensuing hoist camera footage shows the flight mechanic’s patience, anticipation, and timing on the recoveries.
For comparison purposes, below is a link to some footage of a daytime medevac hoist to a deep draft vessel transporting cargo containers 200 nms off the Carolina coast. Heavy seas, originating from Hurricane Floyd in September 1999, caused multiple containers to break free, severely injuring a crewman. The video depicts the challenges encountered when the helicopter is moved abruptly during a rescue swimmer deployment in heavy seas. In contrast to the Atlantic Destiny footage, a trail line is not utilized and the pilot is trying to maintain the helicopter’s position over the hoist target, resulting in an uncontrollable swing of the rescue swimmer.
Example of Uncontrollable Swimmer Swing
*Video Credit – High Seas Rescue Episode 1, Rescuers in Peril 2000