Following helicopter crash, Louisiana family speaks out

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - The search for the four missing passengers involved in an offshore helicopter crash in the gulf leaves a Louisiana family with questions tonight.

The Matt family decided to speak out about aviation safety.

The family fought hard to get “Jacobs Law” in place, requiring helicopter companies to provide GPS-tracking life jackets for all workers transported offshore.

Legislators later amended Jacob’s Law to encourage aviation safety instead.

The uncertainty stems from a fatal helicopter crash in 2008, near the Louisiana-Texas line.

Jacob Matt is the driving force behind Jacob’s law. He died in the 2008 accident; his body was found 4 days after that crash.

“No family should be going through this. With technology, the year 2022, almost 2023, we should be able to find everyone that falls in that gulf that’s lost,” said Michael Matt, father of Jacob Matt.

As crews search for the passengers in Thursday’s crash, the Matt family urges people to remember aviation safety and the importance of wearing GPS-equipped life jackets.

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