On March 12, 2009 a helicopter carrying offshore workers to an oil production platform in the North Atlantic off the coast of Newfoundland crashed into the ocean. Seventeen of the people on board the helicopter perished that day. Just one survived. Thanks to an inquiry into the cause of the crash, which included testimony from the lone survivor, much has been learned about helicopter safety in the years since. However, little has been said about the 17 others who lost their lives that day. The families are now custodians of their legacies. In 18 Souls: The Loss & Legacy of Cougar Flight 491 , families and friends speak candidly — in some cases for the first time — about what was really lost and what could have been had fate been kind that day. This book goes beyond the question of offshore safety and reveals the depths of raw emotion still resonating in the hearts and minds of those left behind. In doing so 18 Souls pays tribute and honours the memory of the passengers and crew of Cougar Flight 491.