Phi Helicopter Crash Kills 8

The helicopter operated by PHI Inc crashed Sunday in southern Louisiana, killing 8 people. Miraculously reports suggest one person survived the crash.

The Phi helicopter was en route to an offshore oil platform and crashed 7 minutes after takeoff around 100 miles southwest of New Orleans in the Bayou Penchant area.

This is the second Phi Helicopter crash this year, with a Phi Air Medical helicopter crashing in Texas in June 2008, killing four people.

The cause of the Phi helicopter crash is not known, but the Sikorsky S-76C is fitted with a voice recorder aboard and possibly a flight data recorder, so the cause may be found by investigators.

The single survivor was transported to a medical facility in suburban New Orleans, and was last reported as being in a critical condition.

The identities of the victims were not released.