Helicopter crash victim remembered

Oilfield worker praises too often unsung
March 13, 2019
Former Sheriff’s Office official announces sheriff candidacy
March 13, 2019
Oilfield worker praises too often unsung
March 13, 2019
Former Sheriff’s Office official announces sheriff candidacy
March 13, 2019

Friends and family of an up-and-coming oilfield supervisor from Gray killed in a Lafourche Parish helicopter crash remembered him this week as a dedicated family man and devout Christian who always put family first.


Nick Duplantis, 38, was in a Bell 407 helicopter en route to his Gulf of Mexico worksite when the aircraft went down for unknown reasons at around 12:15 p.m. Sunday. His body was recovered shortly after rescuers arrived at the scene. The pilot, whose name had not been released as of Monday evening, was still missing as of that time and recovery efforts continued.

Federal investigators are probing the crash which occurred in a shallow area of marsh about five miles southeast of Galliano.

The four-rotor aircraft, was traveling from its Galliano base to Venice when its owner, the Bristow Group, lost its satellite tracking signal. An overflight by a Bristow aircraft spotted an area of debris, according to Lynn Lunsford, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration’s Southwest Regional Office, whose coverage area includes Louisiana. Petty Officer Lexie Preston, a Coast Guard spokeswoman, said her agency was notified at 1:42 p.m. of the crash. A Coast Guard MH-65 helicopter was launched from Air Station New Orleans and assisted in the search for the pilot, whose name has not been released. The Coast Guard was released from the search by Monday morning, according to a spokesman for the agency, because Bristow did not require its services.


FAA records indicate that the downed helicopter, first certified in 1998, has a valid registration.

The aircraft had an Allison 250-C47 turbo-shaft engine, and is registered to Bristow US LLC in New Iberia.

The aircraft was operated by the Bristow Group, an aviation company whose U.S. operations are based in Houston, and which maintains a heliport in Galliano.


A statement from the company says Bristow mobilized its own incident response team and is fully cooperating with authorities.

“Our highest priority is assisting those involved and impacted by the accident,” said Bristow’s president and CEO, Don Miller. “Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected … Nothing is more important than the safety of our passengers and crew, so yesterday’s accident deeply affects all of us. We are committed to conducting a full investigation and supporting everyone impacted by this.”

Among those impacted are Nick’s wife, Nichole, and their three children, two girls aged 15 and 11, and a 9-year-old son.


Robbie Liner, a close family friend, said Nick was ecstatic about his recent promotion following a grueling training course, to be the overseer of an entire platform where he had been working in the Gulf for Talos Energy.

“He was a devoted husband and father who worked very, very hard to get where he was at,” Robbie said. “He was very proud of what he achieved with his company.”

Nick was a die-hard hunter who recently obtained a deer lease in Alabama. He and his son had been hunting this year, and Nick had plans of working on the camp this summer.


On Monday Nichole and the children were surrounded by friends and family, some from the Living Word Church with which the family was very involved.

“He would light up a room when he entered it,” Robbie said. “When there was a dull moment he was going to make you laugh. He would bring out the best in you quickly and you would never forget him. He was a clown and a jokester as well.”

Charles Bourque, a Houma attorney who has extensively handled cases related to helicopter crashes and is himself an experienced military and civilian helicopter pilot, said the Bell 407 is widely used in the Gulf of Mexico region for transport of workers in the oilfield.


“The NTSB generally takes over the investigation and will be in control,” Bourque said. “They will go on scene and recover the remains of the aircraft and begin the investiigation. The NTSB assigns an air safety investigator. Some of these investigations can take six to twelve months.”

The Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries were heavily involved in what was described as a recovery operation as of Monday evening.

Sheriff Craig Webre praised the dedication of his marine division officers, who continued combing the marsh area with boats suited to the shallow waters.


“It takes a special kind of officer to do this kind of work,” Webre said.

Nick Duplantis