• Wednesday, 16 May, 2012

Louisiana helicopter crash kills two

Tragic wreck: Two killed in helicopter crash

related stories

Kathrine Schmidt , Kathrine Schmidt , Kathrine Schmidt , Kathrine Schmidt

 19 January 2012 22:32 GMT

Two men were killed Thursday morning when a helicopter registered to a Louisiana marine service company crashed in St. Mary Parish, the US Coast Guard said.

Authorities said the Cenac Marine Services-registered Robinson R44 Helicopter crashed south of Morgan City just after 9 am local time.

The flight took off from the Houma-Terrebonne Airport at around 8 am, but its purpose or destination were unclear.

The cause of the wreck remains under investigation by the Coast Guard and Federal Aviation Administration.

“Details of the crash are unknown at this time, and the entire Cenac family is in mourning over this tragic loss,” a statement from the company said.

The company identified the passenger in the helicopter as “longtime employee” Lanny Ledet, 42.

The pilot was Jason McKean, 40, of Amite, a pilot for Chet Morrison Contractors, a Houma, Louisiana-based services firm, the company confirmed to Upstream late Thursday.

Sources said the trip did not appear to be work-oriented. Berwick Duval, an attorney for Cenac, said he believed Ledet was on his way to an alligator-industry event.

Duval said Ledet was the manager of Cenac's 50,000-acre Golden Ranch Plantation in nearby Gheens, which offered guests a lodge, hunting trips and swamp tours, according to Louisiana's state travel site.

For decades, the Cenac name was associated with a large oilfield tugboat operation headed by Benny Cenac. That business has gone through a series of mergers that left much of its former assets under the ownership of the Houston-headquartered Enterprise Products Partners.

Spokesman Rick Rainey confirmed to Upstream this afternoon that EPP had no ties to the helicopter.

Cenac Marine Services still operates a marine business from Morgan City, Corpus Christi and other locations.

"We extend our sincerest condolences to the families and friends of the two people who died in this tragic accident," said US Coast Guard Captain Edward Cubanski, chief of the Incident Management Branch for the Eighth District.

User

Become an Upstream member!

Membership includes a subscription to our weekly newspaper providing in-depth news from the energy industry, plus full-access to this site and its archives. Still not convinced? Try our free trial.

Already a member?

Login

Upstream share price index

Recruitment
See all available positions
Events
2
06.05.2012

06

May

06.05.2012 -  20th Middle East Petroleum & Gas Conference (MPGC 2012)

MPGC 2012 will be held from 6-8 May and is returning to Bahrain again, on the occasion of its 20th Anniversary. The conference will be held under the Patronage of His Excellency Dr. Abdul Hussain bin Ali Mirza, Minister of Energy-Chairman of National Oil & Gas Authority, Kingdom of Bahrain and with National Oil & Gas Authority (NOGA) & The Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco) as hosts.
The Conference Connection Inc
Read more »
07.05.2012

07

May

07.05.2012 -  20th Middle East Petroleum & Gas Conference (MPGC 2012)

MPGC 2012 will be held from 6-8 May and is returning to Bahrain again, on the occasion of its 20th Anniversary. The conference will be held under the Patronage of His Excellency Dr. Abdul Hussain bin Ali Mirza, Minister of Energy-Chairman of National Oil & Gas Authority, Kingdom of Bahrain and with National Oil & Gas Authority (NOGA) & The Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco) as hosts.
The Conference Connection Inc
Read more »
08.05.2012

08

May

08.05.2012 -  20th Middle East Petroleum & Gas Conference (MPGC 2012)

MPGC 2012 will be held from 6-8 May and is returning to Bahrain again, on the occasion of its 20th Anniversary. The conference will be held under the Patronage of His Excellency Dr. Abdul Hussain bin Ali Mirza, Minister of Energy-Chairman of National Oil & Gas Authority, Kingdom of Bahrain and with National Oil & Gas Authority (NOGA) & The Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco) as hosts.
The Conference Connection Inc
Read more »