Exposure, Blood Loss Killed Pilot
Times Picayune 04-17-1996

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The pilot of the seaplane that crashed Sunday in the waters off southern
Plaquemines Parish died of blood loss and exposure to the cold, autopsy
reports show.

James Arnoult Jr., 56, of Kenner, was bleeding from a leg injury suffered when
his seaplane crashed in the afternoon fog, said Anthony Buras, chief
investigator for the Plaquemines Parish coroner's office. The plane, which
left Belle Chasse Airport earlier that day, had taken off from a refueling
platform near the mouth of the Mississippi River and was headed to Venice,
then back to Belle Chasse.

Arnoult and his three passengers survived the crash and sat atop the Cessna
206 seaplane for several hours, then swam to a small wellhead platform in
Southwest Pass, where they spent the night. Arnoult died there in his sleep.

The three other men - John Hinkle, Charles Tagliarino and Arnoult's brother,
Donald Arnoult - were hospitalized at West Jefferson Medical Center.

Donald Arnoult was in guarded condition with a back injury and chemical burns
from the plane's spilled fuel, a hospital spokeswoman said. He underwent
surgery, she said.

The other two men were in stable condition, the spokeswoman said. Tagliarino
had an injured right hand and chemical burns on his legs. Hinkel had an
injured left knee and right hand and chemical burns.

After the crash Donald Arnoult kicked out the plane's door and helped the
others on the plane get out, said Gil Acosta, a friend of the men.

Acosta said the men held onto the plane for awhile, but, when it began to
sink, they swam about 200 yards to a gas wellhead platform, which is composed
of several pipes rising over the water and a small wooden platform, big enough
for a couple of workmen.

"They all had different injuries in different parts of the body. . . . I think
it was pretty much of a group effort to get everybody to that platform," he
said.

Acosta said the men relied on survival instincts.

"They took pieces of clothes and straps and did their best to stop the
bleeding" from James Arnoult's injuries, he said. "They bundled him up as best
they could."

They used the heat from the wellhead to keep warm. Typically, gas from
underground is warm, sometimes as hot as 350 degrees, Acosta said.

"For part of the time, they stood up," encircling the well-head to stay warm.

"The fact that the three of them survived, especially after spending such a
long time in the rain and cold, and after getting wet in the water, is, to me,
a wonder," Acosta said. "It took some strong determination for these people to
go through that ordeal."

James Arnoult was president and chief executive officer of Signal Oil and Gas
and Signal/Air Inc. His body has been transferred to Lakelawn Metairie Funeral
Home, where a wake will be held Thursday. He will be buried in Lakelawn
Metairie Cemetery Friday.