So I'm on my way home for lunch, driving the work truck because I didn't want to get wet, and as I get close to my house I hear this noise like some sort of thunder, and I look up above my house and I see the biggest helicopter flying over at about 500 ft above. So because the airport is right across the road from where I work, I drove by the house and went there since it was only a mile and a half. In a straight line my house is 500 yards from the airport. This is by far the biggest machine to ever come into out small airport.

The story as I was talking to a few folks is that a boat, not sure if it was a commercial crab or halibut boat, or a sports fishing boat capsized off the coast, and we were the closest to the area. However that Canadian bird is a little ways from it home, so I am guessing that the accident was way out and up closer to Canada. Then as I was taking pictures of this one, another one came in, this time it was a Coast Guard unit, bigger than most of them I have seen in the area. When I first got to the scene, I noticed that one of the ambulance drivers was a guy I worked with at the hospital in maintenance, then I remembered that when I worked there all of us in maintenance were on stand by as drivers in a disaster. This was one of those moments.

I really hope for the families that this ends well, I actually didn't mean to, but one of the pictures shows the ambulance crew doing CPR on a guy, and chances are all of the people that were plucked from the water are in a sever hypothermia condition. the water off the coast of Washington is cold.

Lets hope for the best.

Above my house










Then as I was taking pics another one showed up.












Getting a ladder ready to do some spot checks.

 

dang, hope all is well. keep us posted on any news dee.

 

http://www.kirotv.com/news/16255964/detail.html

here's the story

 

Arethe ocean trecherous up that way? I watch the show, deadliest catch a lot and those guys have a totally dangerous job. Any way, I was thinking about that as I was reading your post. Hope they are oK.

 

The first helicopter is a variant of the Sea Stallion or Super Stallion - Sikorsky MH-53 Pave Low, and I believe is the 2nd largest helicopter in the world. It is one hell of a beast with un-imaginable load capacity and flight range for a rotor aircraft. Congratulations - that is actually considered a rare sight.







The 2nd one is the Coast Guard's version of the Blackhawk (movie: Blackhawk Down), and is their standard issue for offshore rescue. Aside from not having an armored underbody and weaponry mounted at the doors (though the CG does do it from time to time) - it is identical to the Blackhawk.

 

I sent this link to KOMO 4 about 2 hrs ago, and they called me asking me if they could use them in the broadcast or the website, I said sure. I still haven't heard anymore, except that it was 3 guys on a sports fishing boat off of La Push. I'll keep you informed.

 

Distress Call
http://www.komotv.com/home/related/1...eo=pop&t=a

Komo link
http://www.komotv.com/news/18904899.html

 

http://www.kirotv.com/news/16255964/detail.html

The distress call is brutal. I wonder how the one guy is doing? I feel for his family and friends. This is so sad.[&:]

 

crazy stuff deej...... thats a big helicopter...... one day i saw a chinook..... those are huge.....

 

Just read that the guy didn't make it, 2 others are ok, he was 71, doing what he loved....I guess
http://www.komotv.com/news/18904899.html