FATAL CRASH

Debbie Denmon reports

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HURST - Authorities are searching for clues in a Louisiana marsh after eight people were killed in a helicopter crash Sunday afternoon.

Kim Martin, of Hurst, learned her husband, Vyarl Martin, was among the victims traveling in the helicopter as it headed for an offshore oil platform. He was a co-pilot on the Sikorsky S-76C, which was operated by PHI Inc.

The helicopter crashed in rural Terrebonne Parish, which is about 100 miles southwest of New Orleans, shortly after taking off, said Richard Rovinelli, a company spokesman.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Jaclyn Young said the lone survivor was transported to a medical facility in suburban New Orleans, and was in critical condition Sunday night. There was no immediate update on condition available Monday.

Mrs. Martin said she heard about the crash shortly after it plummeted. Two hours later, she was told it was confirmed her husband was among the dead.

Mrs. Martin said he husband thought of switching jobs for the New Year, but she thought the Louisiana job would be safer since there were no cable or telephone lines in the area.

"He asked on New Year's Eve, 'Should I come back and put in for the EMT up in Fort Worth?'" she said. "And I said it was too much safer flying out to the oil rigs because there's nothing in between ... I thought it was safer. I kind of regret saying that now, but we don't know what happened."

But Mrs. Martin said she does take comfort in one thing.

"At least we know he was flying; and that's what he loved," she said.

Mrs. Martin said her husband will be missed by his former Army buddies and his Coast Guard colleagues with whom he shared reservist duties.

The helicopter should have a voice recorder aboard and possibly a flight data recorder, said Ted Lopatkiewicz, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board. NTSB investigators were expected to arrive later Monday at the crash site, to work with local authorities in the search for the recorder and other material. An NTSB investigator also was headed for PHI's offices to go through maintenance and crew records.

Lafayette-based PHI is a primary provider of helicopter services to oil and gas platforms that dot the coast of Louisiana. It also flies medical helicopters.

Workers typically are flown to and from their worksites from coastal flight bases.

Young said the Coast Guard assisted Terrebonne Parish sheriff's deputies in recovering the dead and rescuing the survivor from the marshy Bayou Penchant area, where the offshore oil business blossomed after World War II.

Fishermen and coverall-clad oilfield workers near the crash site speculated the terrain, known for its bounty of catfish and crawfish, would be difficult to investigate.

"It's nothing but marshland out there," said Bobby Breaux, owner of Bob's Bayou Black Marina. "You get out there and try to walk and you'll sink up to your neck."

"No solid land down there," agreed Irving Arceneaux, 72, who had been fishing with relatives in the area.

PHI identified the dead as Allen Boudreaux, of Ama, La.; Andrew Moricio and Ezequiel Cantu of Morgan City, La.; Randy Tarpley of Jonesville, La.; Jorey A. Rivero, of Bridge City, La.; Charles W. Nelson of Pensacola, Fla.; Thomas E. Ballenger of Eufaula, Ala. and Vyarl W. Martin of Hurst, Texas.

The injured man was Steven Yeltin of Floresville, Texas.

Ballenger and Martin were PHI pilots. Boudreaux, Moricio, Cantu and Tarpley worked for Dynamic Industries of New Iberia, La. The other passengers worked for MMR Offshore Services, Inc., part of Baton Rouge-based MMR Group Inc.

In June, a PHI Air Medical helicopter crashed in Texas, killing four people. The accident in the Sam Houston National Forest killed the pilot, paramedic, nurse and a patient who was being transported from Huntsville to Houston.

That crew agreed to transport the patient after another helicopter company abandoned the mission, saying cloud cover was too low, making visibility poor in the early morning darkness.

The Associated Press contributed to this report