Helicopter

  • | |

    Sundance Chopper Crashes in River Mountains


    Pictured: Sundance Chopper from company video

    What: Sundance Helicopters Aérospatiale AS-350B
    Where: Near Lake Mead, Nevada
    When: Dec 7 2011, 5 pm
    Who: 5 fatalities
    Why: Las Vegas police search and rescue team conformed that a luxury sunset tour of the Las Vegas Strip and Hoover Dam crashed into the River Mountains. The pilot Landon Nield of Las Vegas and four passengers were killed in the crash thirty miles from the Vegas strip were in a remote area. Officials airlifted to the crash site confirmed the condition of the victims. Recovery will continue Thursday after sunrise.

    Sundance Helicopters of Las Vegas has had at least five accidents and has been the subject of 10 federal enforcement actions since 1994 but Nield had no history of accidents or violations.

    Two of the passengers, tourists Delwin and Tamara Chapman of Utica, Kan were renewing their vows and celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary.

    Two of the victims, 28-year-old Lovish Bhanot and 26-year-old Anupama Bhola, were a couple of newlyweds from New Delhi, India.

    The crash was reported by an employee of Alfred Merritt Smith water treatment facility who witnessed the event.

    A 12-member team is being sent to investigate the crash.

    In September of 2003, a Sundance Aerospatiale crashed Near Grand Canyon West Airport, Arizona.

    NTSB LAUNCHING TEAM TO INVESTIGATE TOUR HELICOPTER ACCIDENT IN NEVADA

    The National Transportation Safety Board has launched a 12- member Go-Team to investigate the crash of a helicopter on a sight-seeing tour that occurred near Las Vegas at about 5:00 p.m. PT on Wednesday. Preliminary reports indicate that all five persons on board the helicopter were fatally injured.

    Senior Air Safety Investigator Bill English will serve asInvestigator-in-Charge. Member Mark Rosekind is among those traveling to the site and will serve as principal spokesman during the on-scene phase of the investigation.

    Peter Knudson is the public affairs officer accompanying the team; he may be reached on his cell phone at 202-557-1350.

    2003 crash.pdf

  • | | |

    Military Chopper Goes Down in Colombia


    Pictured: A Colombian Army Blackhawk
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Rogier Westerhuis

    What: Colombian Blackhawk
    Where: San Jeronimo mountains
    When: Dec 3 2011
    Who: 4 soldiers, 4 crew
    Why: The chopper crashed in the San Jeronimo mountains. No one aboard was seriously injured. The team had been deployed to support a fight against FARC, a group of drug traffickers.

    The chopper had just refueled and caught a crosswind. There was minor damage that is reparable.

  • | | | | | |

    Widow Awarded $10 Million for Wrongful Death in Chopper Crash


    The widow of John Goble was awarded $10 Million for wrongful death after the chopper he was in was flown between two electrical towers, striking the power lines. The vintage 1951 military helicopter was en route to an aircraft and classic car show in Riverside, CA. The crash occurred on Nov 7, 2009, over two years ago.

    Goble co-founded Sectra North America, the North American unit of Linköping, Sweden-based PACS firm Sectra, in 1997, and had served as its president ever since. Prior to that, Goble was medical marketing manager for Hewlett-Packard’s workstation division.

    Two million was awarded in compensation for lost wages; the remainder was for loss of companionship. The pilot owned Classic Rotors, a vintage aircraft museum.

    A case against Goble and the utility company involving the surviving family of another deceased passenger, James Jantz, is still pending.

  • | | |

    NZ Chopper Smashed While Setting up Christmas Tree

    What: Helisika Agricultural Ltd. Aérospatiale AS 350B2 Ecureuil
    Where: Viaduct Harbour, Auckland, NZ
    When: Nov 23, 2011
    Who: 1 pilot
    Why: After setting a pylon for a christmas tree, the chopper’s roter struck a cable, and crashed the chopper.

    Pilot Greg Gribble was hospitalized and released.

    Te Wero Bridge has been closed to pedestrians until the investigation is complete.

  • | | |

    Chopper Pilot from Belarus Dies in Congo Crash

    What: Mil Mi-8
    Where: Badondo north of Brazzaville, Congo
    When: Nov 15, 2011
    Who: 4 aboard, 1 fatality
    Why: The military chopper which had been chartered by a mining company crashed during bad weather when it tried to land.

    The pilot, Alexandre Kossiarev, was from Belarus and died in the crash.

    Three passengers were injured.

  • | | | | | |

    José Francisco Blake Mora Dead in Chopper Crash

    What: Fuerza Aerea Mexicana Aérospatiale AS 332L Super Puma
    Where: Temamatla , Edo de Mexico
    When: Nov 11, 2011, around noon
    Who: 9 aboard, 9 fatalities
    Why: A Mexican government helicopter en route from Mexico City to Cuernavaca carrying 9 passengers crashed, killing everyone aboard.

    Those aboard included José Francisco Blake Mora, Secretary of the Interior, Felipe Zamora Castro, Legal Affairs and Secretary of the Interior Ministry DH, Jose Alfredo Garcia Medina, director of social communication Interior Ministry, Diana Miriam Hayton Sanchez, technical secretary of the office, and Major Rene de Leon, Lt. Col. Philip Bacio Cortes, Jorge Luis Juarez Gomez, Ramon Escobar Segundo and Pedro Teninete Becerra.

    The chopper was en route to a prosecutors meeting. It went down in heavy cloud cover, so weather is considered to be a factor. Mexico’s No. 2 official, Francisco Blake Mora, who embodied Mexican government’s get-tough attitude, is one of the victims of the crash. Mora been a key figure in Mexico’s battle with drug cartels and he oversaw disaster response, like the pipeline explosion in San Martin Texmelucan in 2010. He is the 2nd interior secretary in this administration to die in an air accident.

  • | | |

    Chopper Crashes Palm Beach House


    What: Rented Robinson R22 recreational chopper
    Where: Palm Beach
    When: Nov 5, 2011
    Who: 1 pilot, 1 passenger
    Why: The rented recreational chopper struck palm trees and power lines, then clipped the house, landing in the front yard. No fatalities. The damage to the chopper is described as substantial.

  • | | |

    5 Die in Hawaiian Chopper Crash into Mountain

    What: Blue Hawaiian Helicopters Eurocopter EC130 B4 helicopter departing from Kahului
    Where: Kaunakakai, Molokai island, Hawaii
    When: November 9, 2011 at 12:30 pm
    Who: pilot Nathan Cline, 30, of Kihei and 4 tourists
    Why: While on a 45 minute tour of West Hawaii, the chopper crashed into a mountain. The accident occurred on Wednesday, less than a mile from Kilohana Elementary School, right after a hard rain. At the school, students heard an explosion and saw black smoke when the chopper crashed.

    The pilot and four tourists died at the scene. Although the investigation is ongoing, according to at least one published report, the NTSB said that the pilot failed to maintain enough altitude over the terrain amid low-lying clouds.

    Two of the passengers were newlyweds, and they came from Pennsylvania and Ontario Canada.

    Blue Hawaiian, which conducts 160,000 tours yearly, leased the year old chopper from Nevada Helicopter Leasing LLC.

    Four bodies have been recovered. The fifth has been located, but is in a difficult location.

  • | | | |

    Chopper Makes Field Landing in Indiana

    What: Euro Copter EC 130 helicopter en route from Fort Wayne, Indiana to Indianapolis
    Where: Noblesville Hanbury Manor Boulevard near the Sagamore Golf Course
    When: Nov 3, 2011
    Who: pilot and 5 passengers
    Why: The pilot made a public statement that he was piloting his chopper and encountered severe weather. He made an emergency landing described as “controlled” in an Indiana corn field.

    After landing, when everyone aboard had vacated, the chopper caught fire. There were no injuries.

    The incident is under investigation by the NTSB and the FAA.

  • | | | |

    PJ Helicopters Pilot Injured in Chopper Field Crash

    What: PJ Helicopters Hughes MD500D turbine
    Where: SW of Colusa
    When: 10 27, 2011, 3 PM
    Who: pilot
    Why: Thursday Bradley Hall had ported electrical workers to a platform when the chopper failed, lost altitude and made what has been described as a crash and a hard controlled landing. It crashed in a field off Wescott Road at Colusa National Wildlife Refuge.

    Hughes was airlifted to Enlie Medical Center in Chico.

  • | | | | |

    Helicopter Crashes in a Street in Mexico

    What: Gobierno del Estado de Mexico Agusta A109S Grand
    Where: Peréz Valenzuela (street), Del Carmen district, in Coyacán, Mexico
    When: Oct 21, 2011
    Who: 4 aboard, 2 fatalities
    Why: If you imagine going about your normal daily life, you do not expect a chopper to fall in the street, crush your cars and slam into your house.

    A chopper owned by the government of Mexico fell in the streets of Coyoacán, between Guillermo Pérez Valenzuela and Avenida Universidad, landing on two vehicles and striking the wall of a house. Because of a fuel spill, the area was cordoned off.

    The chopper is an Agusta A-109-S Grand, XC-EDM

    Initial coverage was confusing and indicated no fatalities, then three fatalities, then two fatalities with identities unknown.

    Eventually two people were confirmed to be deceased, and two as survivors, but the identities took some time to sort out. Two names were released: Juan Estevan Rodriguez (Ruiz Rodriguez) and Julius Caesar Maturano Gomez were reported to be the fatalities—that is, one of the pilots, and the assistant of the secretary of Metropolitan development. We can assume this is correct because of reports of officials attending the funerals in #7 Rue insurgentes in Sapotian neighborhood, Santa Maria Cuevas, Zumpango.

    Fernando Alberto Garcia Cuevas (the government official) and the surviving pilot were rushed to Hospital Ángeles Pedregal by emergency responders. Cuevas suffered bleeding of a kidney, which is being addressed by catheter embolization. The surviving pilot, Juan Manuel Ramírez Rivera will be undergoing surgery for broken vertebra in his chest, when he is stabilized.

    The pilots attempted to land and save the lives of their passengers and we acknowledge their heroic effort.

    Our sources have one photo of the chopper in question:


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Luis Tena Orozco – AeroImagenes de Mexico

    There was significant confusion in the reportage, so that based on reported coverage, all I can say is this:

    There may have been a flaw in the rotor of the aircraft, though it is not clear if it was something that the pilots had been informed of prior to the flight, or if there was a failure during the flight. There was also a statement published that the chopper fell out of the sky, and was seen plummeting, and that the rotor stopped because the hasp detached (or did not detach) from the main rotor. I am sure the truth come out in the investigation; it is too soon to know what happened, but if any parties in the know want to comment or make corrections, we welcome the input.

    As always, condolences to the families of Rodriguez and Gomez, and best wishes to the recovery of the injured.

  • | | |

    Journalists Die in Belarus Chopper Crash

    What: Belarusian Eurocopter AS 355NP Ecureuil II AS355 NP border patrol helicopter
    Where: Lithuanian border about 800 metres from Vileity
    When: October 20 2011, 3:45 p.m
    Who: 5 fatalities
    Why: Three journalists, Vitaly Prochkovsky, 36; Sergei Shamalov, 39; and Yulia Shaternik, 28 died working on a report about border security for Union, a Belarus television and radio company. Pilots Igor Skvortsov and Andrew Pekarsky also died in in the crash. The chopper circled a house, and fell out of the sky. The Twin Squirrel helicopter they were on crashed for an unknown reason. Forester Elena Kirplyuk witnessed the crash. Crash site specialists converged on the scene. An investigation is underway.

  • | | | |

    Missing Russian Chopper Located, All 7 Alive


    View Large
    Contact the photographer Michael Hohryakov

    What: Russian Emergency Chopper Mil Mi-8MTV-1 #RF-31129
    Where: Altan, Trans-Baikal area Russia
    When: 09-OCT-2011
    Who: 7 aboard
    Why: The missing chopper was located and all aboard are alive. 15 units of equipment and 115 rescuers were engaged in the search. When the flight failed to check in at 12:45, it was declared missing.

    Three crew members and 4 Avialesookhrana representitives were all in good condition, found in the Trans-Baikal region of Kyrinskom. An emergency chopper picked up the 7 and flew them to the First Municipal Hospital in Chita.

  • | | |

    NY Tourist Helicopter Crashes in East River, 1 Birthday Fatality, 4 Rescued

    What: Paul P. Dudley Bell 206B JetRanger
    Where: East River, New York, NY
    When: Oct 4, 2011
    Who: 5 aboard, 1 fatality
    Why: The Bell 206B JetRanger was en route with five people aboard when it took off to about 25 feet above ground, and spun, then crashed for an unknown reason upside down into the East River. The flight had just taken off from the riverbank launch pad. Two people were injured, one was missing. Four individuals were rescued from the water, including the pilot. While the helicopter was submerged, rescuers searched for the fifth passenger, Sonia Marra Nicholson, but did not find her until it was too late. The chopper had sunk 50 feet into the water. Nicholson had been visiting New York on the occasion of her 40th birthday.

    THe passengers who were rescued were Nicholson’s partner Helen Tamaski, her mother Harriet Nicholson and her stepfather Paul Nicholson, all of whom are in stable condition at Bellevue and New York University Hospitals. Paul and Harriet Nicholson live in Portugal but are British citizens. Sonia Marra Nicholson and Helen Tamaski lived in Australia.

    The pilot Paul Dudley also survived. The passengers were close personal friends. He manages the Linden, N.J., airport.

    Rescuers included police officers who where on hand, running a drill on the East River, and who, still in uniform, jumped in to assist passengers.

    video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player

    NTSB briefing today at 5:00 PM (EDT) on investigation of helicopter accident in New York City

    —
    WASHINGTON – NTSB Board Member Mark Rosekind will brief the news media on the NTSB investigation into yesterday’s East River helicopter accident.

    The briefing will be held at 5:00 PM EDT today at the
    accident site.
    NTSB Press Contact: Terry Williams (on-scene in New York)
    202-557-1350
    williat@ntsb.gov

  • | | |

    Nepal: Chopper Crashes; Buddha Air Suspends Flights

    What: Mountain Air Helicopter
    Where: Mallarani Hill, Pyuthan
    When: Sept 25, 2011
    Who: Pilot Kumar Chalise, Shyam GC of Gulmi, Jitendra Jhankri and Hirababu Karki of Kathmandu
    Why: The chopper was on a medical evacuation mission when they had to make an emergency landing.

    Mallarani Hill is in Nepal, the country where the Buddha Air crash occurred yesterday,on the same day as this chopper emergency landing. Another source says the helicopter “made a crash landing at Okharpauwa of Nuwakot due to technical problems.”

    Buddha Air, no connection to Mountain Air other than operating in the same country, suspended domestic flights in mourning for the Buddha Air Crash on Sunday. The victims of the crash will be returned to their families on Monday, Sept 26, 2011, following their autopsy at Tribhuvan University. A committee of 5 has been assigned by Nepal’s Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation to report on the crash within 90 days.

  • | | | | |

    Lifenet Medical Evacuation Chopper Down in Missouri, Four Fatalities

    What: Air Methods Corp Eurocopter AS-350 en route from a hospital in St. Joseph, MO
    Where: a field a mile north of Midwest National Air Center. Missouri
    When: April 26, 2011, 7 pm
    Who: 3 crew and one patient
    Why: The St. Joseph Missouri medical chopper was on the way to Liberty Kansas about to refuel at Midwest National Air Center in Mosby when it went down in a Clay County field. There is no indication what went wrong that caused the crash and skies were reported to be clear. The wreckage is reported to be mangled. According to the video below the wreck might have been a failed landing, hitting the skids, then flipping.

    There were no survivors. The crew lost in the crash were Randy Bever, Flight Nurse, 47, of Savannah, Mo., Chris Frakes, Flight Paramedic, 36, of Savannah, Mo. and James Freudenberg, Pilot, 34, of Rapid City, Sd.

    The name of the 58-year-old female passenger has not yet been released.

    The helicopter was certified in 2005, good until 2013. Key Equipment Finance Inc. out of Boulder, CO.holds the lien and it was being operated by LifeNet, a subsidiary of Air Methods Inc. of Englewood, CO.

    The NTSB is investigating.

  • | | | |

    Petrobra Oil Field Chopper Crashes off Coastal Brazil


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer André Martinis

    What: Senior Táxi Aéreo Agusta Westland AW139 from oil platform to Rio de Janeiro
    Where: in the Campos Basin, Rio de Janeiro
    When: August 19, 2011, 17:15
    Who: 4 aboard, 4 fatalities
    Why: On Friday afternoon, the chopper charted to Brazilian oil major Petrobras set out from the PetrobrasP-65 platform en route to Macaé.

    While miles from shore, the crew declared emergency, and went down 100 km off the coast of Rio de Janeiro. Contact with the chopper was lost at 17:00 local time.

    A Bandeirante Patrol plane and two search Brazilian military aircraft, the 4th Squadron of the 7th Aviation Group, a H-34 Super Puma helicopter, and the 3rd Squadron of the 8th Aviation Group initiated a search for the downed Senior Táxi helicopter. In all, there were five aircraft, a helicopter and four ships, including a Guajará Navy patrol vessel and a Lynx helicopter on standby in the area.

    After two days of searching in rough seas, three bodies were found on the ocean floor 100 meters down and 62 miles from the coast. One body is still somewhere in the ocean.

    The fatalities are listed as Rommel Oliveira Garcia, pilot, Lauro Pinto Haytzann, co-pilot, both employees of Senior Air Taxis, and passengers Ricardo Leal de Oliveira from the company Engevix, and Joao Carlos Pereira da Silva, the Brasitest inspector.

  • |

    ABC News Crew Missing over Australia

    What: Australian Broadcasting Corporation chopper
    Where: Lake Eyre, Australia
    When: August 17, 2011
    Who: 3 staff
    Why: The Australian Broadcasting crew was en route in bad weather and lost contract with flight control around 7:30 pm on August 17 at 142km northeast of William Creek and 146km north-northeast of Marree. Lake Eyre was said to be clear at the time of the crash, with a few local showers. The crew had been on site for aerial photography and video work around Lake Eyre and Cooper Creek.

    They were supposed to be meeting people for dinner, and when they didn’t show up, according to The Telegraph, “the guys walked a few kilometres to the edge of Lake Eyre and found the wreckage.” Eyewitnesses saw the chopper go down in flames.

    The cause is unclear.

    The passengers included journalist Paul Lockyer and cameraman John Bean, who were confirmed missing last night and confirmed dead this morning at 5:30 am.

    Chopper pilot Gary Ticehurst, (Film Helicopters Australia) had over 14,000 chopper hours. Lockyer was a 39 year journalist and Bean had been with ABC over 22 years.

    Emergency services arrived at the crash site early today, August 18.

  • | | |

    Chopper Down in Beijing, Search for Survivors


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Makila

    What: Changhe CA109 (Agusta A109) Police helicopter
    Where: Beijing China
    When: August 17, 2011
    Who: 4 aboard missing, 1 rescued
    Why: In Beijing, five crew members were in a police helicopter returning from a drill when it crashed into a reservoir. One crew member was rescued.

    The drill occurred in a mountainous region of Miyun County that ended at 9:12 a m.

  • | | | |

    Chopper Crash Kills 10

    What: PT Nyaman Air Bell 412 Chopper chartered by PT Nusa Halmahera Minerals en route from Manado Sulawesi Island in Indonesia to the Gosowong Mine
    Where: Manado, Bitung, North Sulawesi
    When: August 2, 2011, 2:30
    Who: 10 aboard, (8 employees and 2 flight crew)
    Why: The helicopter PK-FUG flown by pilot Edi Purnomo crashed into Mount Dua Saudara while en route. Nine aboard died in the crash, including two Australians, two South Africans and four Indonesians were passengers on the flight. The crew were Indonesian.
    The flight was missing initially. Foggy weather hampered the search until it was finally found at 2 a m August 3, with one survivor, who died en route to the hospital. Work has been suspended at Newcrest’s Gosowong gold mine in North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

    The chopper took off at 4:26 a.m. and lost contact with ATC shortly after takeoff.

    The chipper was a joint venture between Australia’s Newcrest Mining and Indonesian company Aneka Tambang.
    Contact information for the families:

    Callers from Australia – 1800 267 616 Callers from PNG – 0008 661 164 Callers from Indonesia
    o Landline – +62 21 7884 6956 ext 4005
    o Mobile – +62 816 237002 Callers from other countries
    o Landline – +61 3 9522 5562 o Mobile – +61 419 654 092

  • |

    Crash Magnet Park in Thailand: Kaeng Krachan National Park

    What: Thai army helicopter
    Where: Kaeng Krachan National Park, Phetchabhuri province, Thailand
    Who: 2 pilots, 1 soldier
    Why: Three choppers went down this month in Thailand:
    A Bell 212 in Kaeng Krachan National Park, Phetchabhuri province with 2 pilots and one soldier killed, and one injured;

    Black hawk helicopter killed 9, crashing in a rainstorm in Kaeng Krachan National Park while searching for the wreckage of the first incident;

    Huey chopper in Kaeng Krachan National Park crashed while en route to pick up 5 officials who were investigating/arresting illegal loggers.

    In George’s Point of View


    We know it was most likely weather related, but one almost wonders if the loggers–or the trees–are anti-aircraft equipped.

  • | | |

    Russia: Mi-8 helicopter Crashes, Killing 3, Two Survivors

    What: Mi-8 helicopter
    Where: Billings, Chukotka region Russia
    When: July 25 2011
    Who: 5 passengers, 3 fatalities
    Why: On a standard operational flight on the Chukotka border, the Mi-8 helicopter developed engine problems and then one engine shut down. The pilot lost control of the helicopter and it crashed in Kamchatka, and caught on fire on impact.

    Doctors and paramedics were flown in to the site.

    One crew member and two passengers died on the scene. There were two survivors, the crew commander and the co-pilot.

    THe chopper is reported by news agencies as belonging to a local airline.

  • | | | | |

    Private Chopper Crashes Carrying Australian Concrete Entrepreneur

    What: DAVCRON PTY LTD Bell 206
    Where: South Turramurra, Sydney Australia
    When: July 22, 2011
    Who: 2 fatalities
    Why: While on a routine flight from Rosehill to the owner’s hanger in Wyee, the bell chopper crashed north of Sydney while flying in a heavy downpour. The wreckage was spread in a hundred meter area at the foot of a cliff in Lane Cove National Park. The pilot and passenger were confirmed dead. Emergency services could only reach by rappelling down. Recovery has been postponed till the weekend because of continued bad weather.

    Witnesses say they may have seen something fly off the back of the helicopter and one witness said the helicopter was upside down when it fell. Descriptions of the troubled helicopter included “clattering” and “explosion.”

    Initially the victims of the crash were not known, but their names have been released. The bodies of pilot Colin Greenwood, 35 and 85 year old Businessman Bruce Campbell were found in the wreckage.

    Officials say the pilot had filed a flight plan although it was not required.

    Campbell founded Davcron Engineering Pty Ltd and owned the chopper which regularly on Fridays flew him to his semi-rural home. Campbell has three sons and is a grandfather of five.

  • | | | |

    Lost: Thai Search And Rescue

    What: Thai military Black Hawk chopper
    Where: Myanmar border
    When: July 18, 2011
    Who: 9 aboard
    Why: The chopper was on a search and rescue mission looking for 5 bodies in Saturday’s chopper crash in Krachan National park.

    Those aboard the chopper were On board were Major General Tawan Ruangsri, the 9th Infantry Division chief and commander of the Surasee Task Force, Major Prapan Jiamsoongnoen, the 1st pilot, Major Chuphan Polwan, the 2nd pilot, Sargent Major Somkid Wongtoksaeng, the senior flight mechanic, Sargent Aram Wongsing, the second mechanic, Captain Jate Sudchai, Captain Chakraphan Bamrungphuet, Lance Corporal Itthisak Hinasuthi, and Sornwichai Kongtannukul, a TV Channel 5 cameraman.

    While the chopper was en route, weather turned bad, and two of the three choppers on the mission returned to base. The third chopper was reported missing. Radio contact was lost at 11:55 a m.

  • | |

    Gyro Crashes in German Field

    What: Fliegmituns.de AutoGyro Europe MTOsport
    Where: near Breitscheid Airfield, Germany
    When: July 15, 2011 at 15:10
    Who: 2 fatalities
    Why: On approach to Breitscheid, the Gyrocopter went into a tailspin, fell like a stone, and crashed in a field. The 59 year old pilot and the 26 year old passenger (who had received the flight as a birthday gift from his girlfriend) both died on the scene, 150 meters from the runway.

    The pilot had been an Air Force transport pilot, and worked for the Defense Department, and an Airbus captain.

    Both the pilot and the passenger are being autopsied in order to exclude heart attack or illness as a cause for the accident.


    photo, credit: Rolp Reinhardt