Flight Safety Foundation
President’s Citation

For Professionalism in Flight Safety is presented to

Eddy Deraet
Noordzee Helikopters Vlaanderen

For his skill, level-headedness and resourcefulness in preventing loss of life in a helicopter accident in rough seas.

On Feb. 4, 2004, Mr. Deraet was on duty during a night helicopter mission as the crew prepared to hoist a sea pilot from a vessel. Mr. Deraet was positioned on the hoist cable to assist the sea pilot’s connection to the cable. While hovering, the helicopter was struck by a huge wave, its engines flamed out, and it descended to and struck the sea.

Mr. Deraet realized the danger to his colleagues inside the aircraft. He swiftly disconnected himself from the hoist cable and pulled the inflatable life raft from the helicopter. In winds gusting to 60 knots, he pulled the hoist operator, the pilot and the copilot out of the sinking helicopter and helped the injured pilots into the life raft. The hoist operator, wearing a life vest, drifted away from the life raft. Mr. Deraet maintained visual contact with the hoist operator, and when a rescue helicopter arrived at the accident scene, Mr. Deraet successfully directed the rescue diver to the hoist operator.

It is likely that without Mr. Deraet’s determination and presence of mind, his fellow crewmembers would have been lost.

Flight Safety Foundation is pleased to recognize Eddy Deraet for responding to this emergency in a professional manner under difficult circumstances.

FSF 57th International Air Safety Seminar
Shanghai, China
November 16, 2004

Stuart Matthews
President and CEO
Flight Safety Foundation

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