Video from NBC4 helicopter may provide key clues in crash investigation
Federal investigators say audio and video captured during the NBC4 helicopter's final live broadcast are the most important evidence in determining why the Eurocopter AS350 B2 crashed in Chatsworth, killing two journalists and a bystander.
Federal transportation officials said Wednesday that audio and video recorded from an NBC4 news helicopter during its live broadcast are the most critical evidence in the investigation of the crash that killed two crew members and a person on the ground in Chatsworth. NTSB investigator Fabian Salazar noted that the footage shows the helicopter hovering over a Metro bus collision, followed by a sudden engine wind-down, a warning horn and the crew’s brief exchange before the signal is lost.
The helicopter, a 22-year-old Eurocopter AS350 B2, was covering the bus crash when it went down around 7 p.m. on Tuesday. The aircraft, owned by Tiny Bubbles Aviation Inc., was operating at low altitude and low forward speed, a flight regime that experts say leaves little margin for error if power is lost. Former helicopter pilot Zoey Tur explained that the recorded sound indicates the engine lost power, triggering a low-rotor-RPM warning.
Aviation safety instructors described the difficulty of executing an autorotation maneuver under those conditions, referring to the “height-velocity curve” and the “dead-man’s curve” as zones where a loss of power is especially hazardous.
The crash follows a separate incident earlier that night in which a SUV collided with a Metro bus, killing two passengers. Police have arrested the driver of the SUV on suspicion of murder.
Welk Aviation, the operator of the news helicopters for KNBC and KTLA, confirmed cooperation with the NTSB and FAA and declined to comment on the cause of the crash.