What happened
On April 4, 2014, at approximately 23:18 PDT, an Agusta AW109SP helicopter, registration N361CR, was performing a Class D external load operation near the mouth of the Columbia River near Astoria, Oregon. The mission involved transferring a ship pilot from the helicopter to a German-registered container ship underway in the Pacific Ocean.
During the operation, the helicopter crew and the ship pilot identified a small area near the starboard bow as the most suitable location for the transfer. The weather conditions involved night operations, light rain, and a wind of 2'10/15kt with 10 miles of visibility.
As the ship pilot made contact with the ship's deck, the ship's bow pitched down. This movement caused the helicopter pilot to lose visual reference with the ship. Consequently, the helicopter began drifting aft relative to the vessel. The hoist operator was unable to pay out the cable fast enough to prevent the ship pilot from being pulled off the deck. To prevent further injury, the hoist operator sheared the cable. The ship pilot fell several feet onto the deck, resulting in one serious injury (a fractured scapula).
Findings
Investigation into the incident revealed that the chosen transfer location provided the helicopter pilot with only a very small portion of the ship's bow for station-keeping and visual reference. Because the pilot could not maintain a complete view of the ship, the loss of visual contact led to the uncontrolled relative motion between the aircraft and the vessel.
Additionally, the investigation found that the helicopter crew and the ship pilot lacked complete and accurate knowledge of the ship's specific deck configuration and cargo layout prior to arrival. While guidance exists for ship operators regarding helicopter transfers, there were no requirements for the ship to provide detailed information regarding deck accommodations for such operations in advance.