The sole survivor of a helicopter crash that killed 17 offshore oil workers says his emergency training, while good, was "not enough".
Robert Decker, 28 testied at an inquiry into offshore helicopter safety in St. John's Thursday. he said he never had concerns about safety before Cougar Flight 491 crashed into the North Atlantic 55 kilometres southeast of St. John's on March 12, 2009.
In a prepared statement after questioning, Decker called it "luck" that he survived while others did not. He also said while the training provided for possible helicopter crashes was good, the fact that the training happened in a swimming pool once every three years was not enough to develop a natural instinct to know what to do in an emergency situation.
The flight crew and other passengers travelling to offshore oil platforms, 17 in all, died when the Sikorsky S-92A slammed into the ocean.
A weather and ice observer for the offshore industry, Decker relived the devastating crash and his rescue for the first time Thursday.
He was questioned extensively on the safety training he recieved as well as how well the survival suit he wore during the crash worked.
In Decker's prepared statement he acknowledged "good survival suits are important, search and rescue teams nearby are important..but if we really want to make offshore helicopter travel safe, safety starts with the helicopter and I think everything else is secondary."
Decker also tried to give answers to Canadians' most asked question since the helicopter accident: why did he survive when no one else did?
Decker said he is an experienced sailor who has been thrown into icy waters many times. He had the natural instinct not to panic. He also braced himself on the seat in front of him when the helicopter went down. His training dictated that he should have crossed his arms over his chest or face.
The horrific details of the crash Decker said he was asleep when technical problems began. On waking up, he was not immediately aware how serious the problems were. When the pilots called 'brace', which usually means the helicopter is landing, Decker said he knew something was wrong because all he could see out the window was water.
Very shortly after, the call to "ditch" came "and it was almost as the helicopter was crashing."
Decker said he does not remember the crash. He remembers waking up in the submerged helicopter that seemed to be sinking quickly.
Reaching for his seatbelt, Decker unbuckled and pushed himself up through a broken window.
"It was a long ascent to the surface. I could look up and see it was getting brighter and brighter."
Decker swallowed hard and paused several times during his testimony but he was composed as he described breaking through the ocean's surface.
He said he was able to inflate his lifejacket, bu could not get the gloves of his survival suit on - a feat that is difficult at the best of times, nevermind when your fingers are numb from cold, Decker testified.
A broken sternum and ankle making it hard to swim, Decker nonetheless tried to make his way toward one of two inflated lifeboats, but it seemed "a losing battle" as the raft drifted farther away. Decker testified the rafts are equipped with sea anchors but those can only be manually deployed.
After finishing his story, Decker was visibly moved, pausing to compose his emotions, as he publically thanked the Cougar crew who rescued him.
