PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The National Transportation Safety Board has released a preliminary report on its investigation into the medical helicopter crash in Drexel Hill earlier in January.
In that report, a flight medic onboard said he heard a loud bang, and the helicopter banked and entered what was described as a rolling pattern, flipping over "perhaps multiple times" within a short distance of its Philadelphia destination.
Officials say, however, there still is a lot more work to be done before investigators can determine an official cause of the crash.
Related
At about 1 p.m. on Jan. 11, emergency responders rushed to the crash scene at Burmont Road and Bloomfield Avenue in Drexel Hill. The helicopter had left Chambersburg Hospital Heliport in South Central Pennsylvania just after 12 p.m. and was headed to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
The pilot suffered minor injuries, while the two medical professionals and an infant patient on board were not injured. Immediately after the crash, officials called the fact that everyone survived a "miracle."
The NTSB has focused on three phases of the crash investigation, what they describe as "man, machine and the environment."
In its written preliminary report, the NTSB has so far included information about the aircraft itself, meteorological information, and flight plan conditions at the accident site.
Related
According to the report, the flight medic onboard told an FAA safety inspector that he and the flight nurse were out of their seats in the helicopter taking care of the infant when they heard a "bang."
At that point, the helicopter banked sharply to the right, rolled in that direction, and rolled "inverted, perhaps multiple times," according to the report.
The medic also told the investigator that he and the flight nurse were "pinned to the ceiling," and that the helicopter leveled out. Those on board secured the infant and braced themselves in place for a crash landing.
According to the report, the nurse evacuated the infant from the helicopter then the pilot, while the medic shut down the two engines.
Related
The report also includes summaries from witnesses who were under the helicopter's flight path.
One is from a man described as an aviation enthusiast and familiar with helicopters flying in the area. His summary said in part that it was “very low and louder than normal” and that the “tone” of the rotors was unfamiliar.
According to the witness, the helicopter was “in a nose-down attitude...far less than 1,000 ft above the ground...rotating around its longitudinal axis."
Another witness described the helicopter flying “very low…very loud…banked right and left out of control, then appeared to straighten…” before it left his view.
The report also said a doorbell camera from a house about a mile away from the crash site captured a whine with increasing volume and pitch before the helicopter appeared to make a near-vertical, nose-down descent.
According to the report, the pilot had 4,123 total hours in flight, with 3,400 in helicopters and 185 in the exact make and model of the helicopter involved in the crash.
The NTSB said this is preliminary information and subject to change. An official said shortly after the crash that it could take a year until the cause of the chopper crash is determined.
You can read the full NTSB initial report below:
Jay Sorgi contributed to this report.
