Helicopter crash in Manhattan - reports of people trapped

[Wilsonandson]

Sky News
00:09, UK, Monday 12 March 2018

A helicopter has crashed into the East River off Manhattan, with reports of people trapped inside.



The Eurocopter AS350 went down at about 7pm local time, according to a statement from the US Federal Aviation Administration.

They said that the helicopter "reportedly is inverted in the water".

Eric Phillips, spokesman for New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, said on Twitter: "NYPD and FDNY divers already
on the scene and in the water."

It is not known how many people were inside at the time but that model usually carries one pilot and five or six passengers.

https://news.sky.com/story/helicopte...apped-11286757

[Wilsonandson]

[harrybarracuda]

New York (CNN)Two people were killed when a helicopter went down Sunday evening in New York's East River, authorities said.

Three other passengers remain in critical condition. A sixth person, the pilot, was able to free himself and was rescued, FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said. He was taken to the hospital for observation.
"One of the most difficult parts of the rescue were that five people were tightly harnessed," Nigro said. "People had to be cut out."

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/03/11/u...ent/index.html

[harrybarracuda]

Sad ending... RIP.

All five passengers on a helicopter have been killed after it crashed into the East River off Manhattan.
There were six people on the Eurocopter AS350, which was registered to Liberty Helicopters and was being used for a private charter photo shoot.
Moments before the crash, the pilot radioed for help saying the engine had failed, according to local press.

"Mayday, mayday, mayday," the pilot said, according to news accounts. "Engine failure. We've got an engine failure over the East River."
It went down near Gracie Mansion, the residence of New York's mayor, near the northern end of Roosevelt Island, at about 7pm local time.
Two passengers were declared dead at the scene and three others later died in hospital, according to the Fire Department.
https://news.sky.com/story/helicopte...apped-11286757

[harrybarracuda]

The pilot in the New York City helicopter crash tried desperately to turn the fuel supply back on after it was reportedly switched off mid-flight by a passenger's restraint.


Richard Vance, 33, told investigators of the National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) that he went to flip off the switch because the craft was going down, but discovered that it was already off and that part of the harness was underneath it.

According the NTSB's preliminary report that was released Monday, Vance told investigators that he believed the fuel was shut off when a passenger's restraint tether tangled with an emergency fuel cutoff switch.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5546923/Pilot-NYC-copter-crash-blames-passenger-restraint-harness.html

[Wilsonandson]

What a stupid place to put a harness next to the Emergency fuel cutoff switch. Duhhhhh!

[Davis Knowlton]

^That's just leaving me without words..........other than HUGE lawsuits.

[bsnub]

Pretty mind blowing! WOW!

[harrybarracuda]

In fairness, it does say "believed".

Which at this stage of the investigation does not rule out mechanical failure.

[Davis Knowlton]

In fairness, it does say "believed".

Which at this stage of the investigation does not rule out mechanical failure.

True. I guess cutting off the fuel could possibly result in a mechanical failure.

[harrybarracuda]

True. I guess cutting off the fuel could possibly result in a mechanical failure.

Erm..... I doubt it.

But he said he "believed" it was the problem.

Wording is important.

E.g. if they find out that the fuel was not cut off and his control inputs caused the crash, or something else broke....