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    Rich Clingan

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    OMM Web Team

Fatalities – 2005 (4 total)

26-Jan-2005 – Bois d’Arc

Remarks: While operations were being conducted to pull and lay down casing, the hydraulic stabbing board was impacted by the top drive as the unit was pulling casing, causing the death of the stabber. The stabber

was working in the HSB personnel bucket at the time of the accident.  The personnel bucket was caught on the top drive unit as it was ascending, and upended. This upending caused the front top rail of the personnel bucket to crush the stabber against the boom arm of the HSB resulting in his death. See OCS Report MMS 2006-002 for more details.

21-Mar-2005 – Apache Corporation

Remarks: The deck hand on a crew boat died as a result being caught between the back deck of the OSV GREG DANOS and the platform spreader bar (boat landing). The incident occurred as the OSV was backing to the platform in an attempt to tie off.  As the deck hand passed a line over the spreader bar, the stern of the OSV came down off of a wave and as it began to rise under the platform the deck hand lay down on the starboard aft jump deck. Unfortunately his actions were not enough to prevent him from being pinned between the two fixed objects. As a result of this contact, he suffered massive internal chest injuries as well as severe head trauma.  See Coast Guard investigation report for more details (MISLE Activity No. 2332374).

12-Aug-2005 – Forest Oil Corporation
(Also listed as Injury)

Remarks: While operations were being conducted to rig-up coil tubing, a joint of 2⅜-inch tubing supporting the BOP stack assembly bent suddenly at a 90-degree angle under the load. The bending of the tubing caused the BOP assembly to break free and fall overboard. A coiled tubing technician, who was attached to the BOP assembly by his safety line, was pulled overboard by the weight of the BOP assembly causing his death. A second worker was knocked into the water and suffered a bruised leg after being struck by the return hose from the stack. MMS concluded that a cause of the accident was rigging up the BOP stack assembly atop the tubing joint without any other support and without any engineering verification that the tubing would support the load under the operational conditions that existed at the job site. See OCS Report MMS 2007-045 for more details.

18-Aug-2005 – Devon Energy Production Company, L.P.

Remarks: A Bell 206B single engine helicopter registered to Air Logistics LLC was destroyed when it impacted water following a collision with the platform while attempting to land on the facility. The flight originated from a nearby platform, WC 645. The emergency floats did not deploy and the helicopter quickly sank, fatally injuring the Air Logistics’ pilot and mechanic. The NTSB determined the probable cause to be the loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot’s improper fuel calculations. See NTSB Factual Report and Probable Cause Report for more details.