Survivor Recalls Deepwater Horizon Blast

(CBS)  One of the last to escape the Deepwater Horizon oil rig tells "60 Minutes" correspondent Scott Pelley how he got away from the flaming platform and all the things that went wrong leading up to the blowout that killed 11 and caused the still-gushing oil leak.

Michael Williams, chief electronics technician on the oil platform, speaks in his first interview in a report to be broadcast this Sunday, May 16, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

Williams describes to Pelley the signs of the coming explosion as natural gas from the well was escaping onto the platform, then was sucked into the vessel's generators, which began to burn it and run out of control.

"I'm hearing hissing. Engines are over-revving and then all of a sudden, all the lights in my shop just started getting brighter and brighter and brighter," says Williams, "and I knew something bad was getting ready to happen."

Williams survived the blast and had to jump from the burning platform nearly 100 feet into oily waters beneath it.

He sums up what happened the night of April 20 aboard the massive oil drilling platform owned by his company, Transocean. "The well kicked, the safety systems failed, and men lost their lives. I don't know how else to say it," he tells Pelley. "All the things that they told us could never happen, happened. You know, on a daily basis, we were told, 'We're going to send you home better than the day you got here. It wasn't true that day.'"

Williams suffered a gash on his forehead and broken ribs, and was rescued just before falling unconscious as he swam furiously to avoid burning oil from the exploded rig.

The "60 Minutes" double-length segment examines the events leading up to the blast using first-hand accounts and utilizing never-before-seen footage of the disaster taken moments after the blast.




Produced by Solly Granatstein and Graham Messick

[dannygua]

Andrea Fleytas

[SulcoPete]

Thanks to 60 Minutes for bringing us some truth...it's hard to come by. Obama needs to stop the oil companies from maximizing their profits at the risk of the planet. If the oceans die, it's a safe bet that the earth will die as well. I am scared. It's amazing to me that safety in these drilling operations doesn't come first. One thing is true...if you continue to put profits before safety, you won't be doing it for long because we will all be dead.

[jessdivin]

Somebody knows the answer to the two questions listed above about Andrea and who pulled Michael Williams into the boat. Answers, please.

[DavidNJ]

This is not an unusual story. Whether Apollo 1, the Challenger, the Titanic, etc. there is always pressure for a better product on time without issues, and after a prolonged period without problems people grow complacent. Why should a problem with the BPV be an issue if it hasn't been for the past 20 years and not in the collective memory of anyone working on the project? How many times have you jaywalked, aggressively entered traffic or changed lanes, run across a street after the 'Don't Walk' sign started flashing, or crossed an intersection when the light turned green without double checking traffic? We all grow complacent when the probability is low.

Note the President loves to smoke, a case where the probability isn't low.

[querysquidier]

To all asking about "Andrea", she may be "Andrea Arnold" and it looks like she perished:
http://www.deepwaterhorizoncondolences.com/public-notices.asp

[querysquidier]

I'm mistaken!

[querysquidier]

To all asking about "Andrea", she may be "Andrea Arnold" and it looks like she perished:
http://www.deepwaterhorizoncondolences.com/public-notices.asp

[querysquidier]

This was not her!

[Erina_68]

"by mari1963 May 15, 2010 6:35 PM EDT
These people know the risks when they take jobs such as these. Why are we supposed to feel sorry for them? They make an enormous amount of money as well. I hope all drilling in this country stops forever. The benefits sure don't outweigh the damage that has been done and will effect wildlife forever. Shame on them all."

Your comment shows willful ignorance and malice. Do you say the same of police or firefighters who die in the line of duty, or our soldiers who fight for our safety and freedom, afterall they know the risks, right?

Shame on you. It is a sad fact that the ecosystem will be forever impacted but the true tragedy is the loss of life for those 11 men and their families.

I pray we one day find a valid and lasting option to oil dependency but until then we MUST demand these companies do more to ensure safe operations or face serious fines. This goes for the coal mining companies as well.

[cjayjack9]

what happened to Andrea? She is not listed anywhere on the web as a victim, survivor or what? how can a person be mentioned and not follow up with the resolution to her existence or demise...

[DavidNJ]

Since all the names are men, either they have her for a episode next week or they are trying to flush her out. She must have survived without jumping, making part of the story presented look extreme. If she had been badly injured that would have been reported in the news.

[jdebmeyer]

Yes, what happened to Andrea?

[Wes_Hughes]

Did this article get squashed by the powers that be. I have confirmed that all feeds went down. Dish, Charter and a local fiber provider all lost the feed and now I see that the video is not available on the web.

What will next weeks article be about....