US News
Rescue helicopter pilot says he heard bangs before fiery crash that killed 2: Report
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- A pilot told investigators he heard a loud bang before a Florida medical rescue helicopter caught fire in flight last month, leading to a crash that killed a paramedic and a woman on the ground, a federal report released Friday said.
The twin-engine Broward County Fire-Rescue helicopter had just taken off from Pompano Beach Airpark on Aug. 28 when at about 400 feet (122 meters) pilot Daron Roche said he heard the bang, the National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report said. Then he saw on his control panel that one engine’s temperature was rising.
He radioed air traffic controllers to tell them that he had an emergency and tried to return to the suburban Fort Lauderdale airport, the report said. The fire warning light had illuminated, so he activated the suppression system but the temperature gauge kept rising, Roche told investigators. Video taken by witnesses on the ground shows flames coming from the engine compartment followed by a trail of smoke.
Roche told investigators he lost control after hearing a second bang, which was when the tail partially separated from the main part of the helicopter.
The aircraft spun out of control and crashed through the roof of an apartment building, killing paramedic Capt. Terryson Jackson and apartment resident Lurean Wheaton. Roche and paramedic Mike Chaguaceda were injured.
The paramedics had been on their way to pick up a seriously injured traffic accident victim.
The helicopter was built in 1999 and its engines were rebuilt seven years ago, the report said. The helicopter was last inspected in May.
The safety board has not yet determined what caused the fire. Its investigations usually take about a year to complete.
-
US News9m ago
Heavy Rains Over Texas Have Led Water Rescues and Evacuation Orders
-
US News6h ago
Trump Media’s Accounting Firm Charged With Massive Fraud
-
US News1d ago
Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar and His Wife Are Indicted Over Ties to Azerbaijan
-
US News1d ago
An Anchovy Feast Draws a Crush of Sea Lions to One of San Francisco’s Piers, the Most in 15 Years
-
US News1d ago
A Boston Cop Killer or a Victim of Framing? What to Know About Karen Read’s Murder Trial
-
US News1d ago
Tensions Rise at Ole Miss as Counter-Protesters Taunt Palestine Supporters With Star-Spangled Banner
-
US News1d ago
Police Officer Fired Gun While Clearing Protesters From Columbia Building, Prosecutors Say
-
US News1d ago
IRS Acts to Address Wide Disparity in Audit Rates Between Black Taxpayers and Other Filers