en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_(film)
2 corrections found
The lifeboats did actually leave Mike Williams, Andrea Fleytas and seven others on the rig.
This understates how many survivors were still aboard after the lifeboats left. An official Marshall Islands investigation found that 11 people remained onboard immediately after the lifeboats were launched, not 9.
Full reasoning
An official Republic of the Marshall Islands casualty investigation contradicts this count. Its findings state that the crew known to be remaining onboard immediately after the lifeboats were launched included 11 people: Alwin Landry, David Young, Stephen Bertone, Yancy Keplinger, Andrea Fleytas, Michael Williams, Paul Meinhart, Stanley Carden, Chad Murray, Randall Ezell, and Wyman Wheeler.
So the article's statement that the lifeboats left only "Mike Williams, Andrea Fleytas and seven others" on the rig is incorrect by two people.
1 source
- Marshall Islands DWH Investigation Report, 17Aug2011
“the crew known to be remaining onboard immediately after the lifeboats were launched included: Alwin Landry, David Young, Stephen Bertone, Yancy Keplinger, Andrea Fleytas, Michael Williams, Paul Meinhart, Stanley Carden, Chad Murray, Randall Ezell, and Wyman Wheeler.”
However, only Williams jumped off the rig. Fleytas jumped onto the life-raft that was deployed to save the remaining seven people.
Official investigations say more than just Mike Williams jumped. They report that eight people jumped into the sea, and Andrea Fleytas testified that she fell out of the raft when it hit the water.
Full reasoning
This sentence misstates the evacuation.
A National Academies summary of the disaster says that after the abandonment order, “seven left in a life raft, and eight jumped into the sea.” That alone contradicts the claim that only Williams jumped off the rig.
The official Marshall Islands casualty investigation adds more detail. It says the Master, Senior Dynamic Positioning Officer, Motor Operator, and Chief Electronics Technician remained onboard and decided to jump after the liferaft was launched, and that the fast rescue craft also saw additional people jump from the bridge area. The same report states that Andrea Fleytas testified she fell out of the raft when it hit the water. So the article's version — that only Williams jumped and Fleytas simply jumped onto the raft — is not what the official investigations found.
2 sources
- Macondo Well Deepwater Horizon Blowout: Lessons for Improving Offshore Drilling Safety
“One hundred personnel left by two lifeboats … seven left in a life raft, and eight jumped into the sea.”
- Marshall Islands DWH Investigation Report, 17Aug2011
“The Dynamic Positioning Officer testified that she fell out of the raft when it hit the water.” The report also says the Master, Senior Dynamic Positioning Officer, Motor Operator, and Chief Electronics Technician “decided to jump after the liferaft was launched.”