Seattle News Helicopter Crashes at Space Needle, 2 Dead, 1 Injured

KOMO TV ^ | 3/18/14 | KOMO Staff

[hoagy62]

Two people were killed and one was critically injured when a news helicopter crashed and burned Tuesday morning on Broad Street only yards away from the Space Needle.

Emergency personnel immediately rushed to the scene.

Two cars were struck in the crash. One man could be seen running from from one of the cars with his sleeve on fire, and he was extinguished by officers at the scene.

[Not A Snowbird]

Their usual chopper is in the shop for an upgrade. This one was a loaner.

[PLMerite]

“Their usual chopper is in the shop for an upgrade. This one was a loaner.”

Oh, bummer. I wonder if this is going to turn out to be a case of pilot unfamiliarity?

Like when my SUV was in the shop and for two weeks I was driving a rented Prius. If I had been operating in three dimensions it would have been dicey at first.

[21twelve]

A guy on another building looks out on the heliport. He said the chopper landed, and the pilot came out and looked around the craft with a flashlight. Then took off after only the check and a few minutes on the ground, and then crashed.

The guy burned in the car is reported to have 20% or less burns, some deep will require surgery, but is expected to survive.

[Not A Snowbird]

I hope not. The controls on the A-Star are backwards from a normal chopper. Silly French.

[PLMerite]

“The controls on the A-Star are backwards from a normal chopper.”

Muscle memory plays a part in quick reactions. Might have been a factor in this.

[Catmom]

Thank God no one else got hurt/killed.

[USNBandit]

Reports I hear said the helicopter lifted off the pad, started forward and then started spinning left. For an AS 350, where the main rotor goes the wrong way, that is indicative of a tail rotor problem or tail rotor drive problem.

I spent a large part of the afternoon flying an AS-350 in Seattle and the winds/weather weren't abnormal. The problem with that helipad arrangement is that it puts you in a region of the height velocity diagram you don't want to be in. As soon as you leave the pad you are at a high enough altitude to get killed without enough speed to auto.