Just before deadly helicopter crash off Catalina, another aircraft nearly went down, NTSB says - BERITAJA
Federal authorities are investigating a 2nd aesculapian removal chopper incident adjacent Catalina Island that occurred conscionable moments earlier a abstracted fatal clang claimed the lives of 3 connected board.
The Federal Aviation Administration is seeking to find what led to the incident pinch a Mercy Air Eurocopter bound for Harbor-UCLA Medical Center from Catalina Island’s Pebbly Beach connected Sept. 30
According to an soul study obtained by a doctormedic.com, the chopper dropped a short region disconnected the seashore of Catalina and touched the h2o earlier the aviator recovered and continued the flight
“The FAA is alert of and looking into an incident involving a aesculapian chopper that departed from Catalina Island soon earlier a different chopper that crashed,” the agency said successful a connection to The Times. A spokesperson did not reply a mobility from The Times about why the incident was not listed connected the FAA’s website that specifications craft incidents and accidents.
According to the online formation way information, the Mercy Air Eurocopter about collapsed the nighttime of Sept. 30, nary much than a infinitesimal earlier a REACH Air Medical Services Eurocopter would plunge into the ocean aft taking disconnected from the aforesaid Pebbly Beach helipad. The REACH Air Medical Services craft climbed to about 175 feet successful the aerial astatine 7:46 p.m. earlier quickly descending seconds later.
That clang claimed the lives of diligent Catalina Romero, caregiver Jessica Devries, 48, and aviator Steve Robinson. Two others connected the formation were rescued from the water. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department divers recovered Romero’s assemblage successful the chopper wreckage, immoderate 218 feet beneath a time later.
Part of the threat of aerial recreation successful and retired of Catalina astatine nighttime involves flying complete h2o successful acheronian and spatial disorientation, which occurs erstwhile a aviator flying successful debased visibility owed to clouds, fog aliases acheronian cannot spot a sky and their senses conflict pinch the reality of their position.
Peter Knudsen, a spokesperson for the National Transportation Safety Board that is investigated the fatal Reach Air Medical Services chopper crash, “we are decidedly alert of this accusation about the different helicopter.”
The Mercy helicopter, operated by Air Methods, took disconnected from the Pebbly Beach helipad astatine 7:45 p.m., aggregate formation radar records show. About 40 seconds into the flight, the chopper quickly dropped to 75 feet, information shows.
Records obtained and redacted successful portion by the doctormedic.com uncover that, successful an soul report, the aviator described the conditions “as visibility was unclear done NVG (night imagination goggles) pinch nary moon, calm ocean. I realized we had descended from 150 feet to 75 feet - made power corrections. I looked backmost in, felt a listen and spray nether chin bubble. Obvious interaction pinch water.”
The study was written Oct. 7, much than a week aft the incident.
