UAE official news agency WAM today confirmed that both crewmembers of a Bell 212 had perished in a crash off Umm Al Quwain on Thursday night and that parts of the wreckage had been discovered. The AeroGulf Services helicopter was conducting a night training flight to an oil rig from its base at Al Maktoum International Airport when it went down in the sea off the coast northeast of Dubai.
AeroGulf said the helicopter was carrying two crewmembers and no passengers onboard. “Sadly, we can confirm that both crew members have perished,” it added. The body of the second pilot was recovered over the weekend.
The two pilots, foreign nationals from Egypt and South Africa, were the only persons on board the helicopter, according to the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA). The accident occurred at 8:07 p.m. local time.
GCAA has launched an investigation into the cause of the crash, and Aerogulf said it is cooperating with the investigation and recovering the wreckage. In a statement issued last night, the company said “specially trained personnel have been provided to offer support and assistance to the families and friends of the crewmembers.”
Aerogulf was established in 1976 and currently operates a mixed fleet of Leonardo and Bell helicopters on medevac, personnel and material transport, and helitourism missions.