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Helicopter crash could be mechanical error, pilot says
  
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By LUCRETIA CARDENAS
Federal investigators on Tuesday started gathering evidence to determine what caused a Channel 13 news helicopter to crash near W.G. Jones State Forest Monday morning.
Although a determination of the cause isn’t expected for more than a year, a National Transportation Safety Board spokesman said, a Dallas pilot believes a mechanic or manufacturer is at fault.
Pilot John Downhower, of Conroe, and photojournalist David Garrett, of Sugarland, died in the wreck. They left Hobby Airport in Houston to cover a shooting incident at FM 1488 and Honea Egypt Road in Montgomery County and crashed around 11 a.m. just east of the Jones State Forest, off FM 1488.
Investigators planned to move the SkyEye helicopter to Dallas Tuesday for a more detailed inspection, NTSB spokesman Keith Holloway said.
During the investigation Tuesday, an NTSB inspector found a few identifiable pieces of the aircraft, but much of it was burnt. Investigators extracted the engine and sent it to Rolls Royce, its manufacturer, for further review. Federal investigators also are reviewing video found at the scene and looking for radar information.
A Department of Public Safety sergeant said the aircraft crashed into the ground at a steep angle.
Ladd Stanger, a Dallas pilot and practicing attorney, said the information points toward a conclusion that the helicopter suddenly became inoperable. He said the last video shot from the helicopter, which can be viewed on Channel 13’s website, shows the helicopter at a “relatively reasonable altitude,” which most likely means the engine failed abruptly, causing the aircraft to suddenly bank and crash into the ground.
The Bell 206 L-4 helicopter is widely used by news organizations, he said. The Bell 206 model was designed in the 1960s and has been used by military and civilians over the years.
It weighs 4,450 pounds and can seat up to six passengers and a pilot. It’s equipped with a “dependable” turbine engine and has the “best safety record in its class,” according to the Bell helicopter website.
“It’s a really reliable helicopter,” said Stanger, who has flown several.
Since Jan. 1, 2003, of the 155 Bell 206 model aircrafts involved in accidents in the United States, only 25 were fatal, according to NTSB aviation accident statistics. Eight of the 155 accidents involved Bell 206 L-4 aircrafts, none of which resulted in fatalities.
In the past two years, only about 15 percent of the helicopter accidents have ended with fatalities. One was a PHI medical helicopter crash in Huntsville in June. The pilot, flight nurse, flight paramedic and patient died when the helicopter, a Bell 407, crashed into the Sam Houston State Forest. The cause of the crash has not been determined.
Other local helicopter crashes include a KRIV Fox News helicopter crashing into a hair salon near River Oaks in Houston, killing 38-year-old pilot Donald Sumner in November 2000. In May 2001, a KHOU helicopter crashed on the roof of the television station on Allen Parkway. The pilot was treated and released for minor injuries.
While Stanger believes Bell 206 helicopters are safe, he has handled lawsuits in which mechanical issues have caused the aircrafts to malfunction. In two cases, Metro Traffic, which contracts with Channel 13, was leasing the helicopter to news agencies.
In 2002, a KVIL radio helicopter’s engine quit, requiring it to make an emergency landing in Dallas, Stanger said. The case was settled, but the cause of the engine failure was mechanical because a component was not properly tightened.
Stanger is litigating a case in which a Fox 4 helicopter in Dallas was required to make an emergency landing because of engine failure. In this case, the mechanics and the manufacturers are blaming each other, he said.
Although Stanger suspects maintenance as a factor in Monday’s crash, he said Metro Networks’ operator, Helicopters Inc., is recognized in the industry as reputable and established.
It is difficult to learn what causes a crash, Holloway said, and it could take 12-18 months for the investigators to make a determination in Monday’s incident.
“Investigators arrived late last night and they are examining the wreckage today,” Holloway said. “We do not determine the cause on scene … unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of information at this time.”
Smoke bellowing from the crash Monday could be seen by residents from surrounding neighborhoods, although the aircraft landed in a wooded area at least 400 yards from any homes.
Ashton Gustavsen, woke up to the sound of sirens Monday. She walked with her grandparents to the end of Pines Acres Road in Conroe only to find the road blocked by law enforcement. They could see news helicopters circling above and what they believed to be smoke rising up out of the woods.
Residents along Peoples Road said they heard a loud “boom” when the helicopter crashed and that the impact could be felt inside a small building.
By the numbers:
• Of the 461 helicopter accidents in the United States from Jan. 1, 2006, to the present, 70 have resulted in at least one fatality.
• Since Jan. 1, 2003, 155 Bell 206 model aircrafts have had accidents in the United States, with only 25 involving fatalities.
• Only eight of the U.S. accidents since 2003 involved Bell 206 L-4 helicopters (the model involved in Monday’s crash), and none of the accidents resulted in a fatality, excluding the fatal crash Monday in Conroe.
Statistics are from the National Transportation Safety Board’s aviation accident database.
Although a determination of the cause isn’t expected for more than a year, a National Transportation Safety Board spokesman said, a Dallas pilot believes a mechanic or manufacturer is at fault.
Pilot John Downhower, of Conroe, and photojournalist David Garrett, of Sugarland, died in the wreck. They left Hobby Airport in Houston to cover a shooting incident at FM 1488 and Honea Egypt Road in Montgomery County and crashed around 11 a.m. just east of the Jones State Forest, off FM 1488.
Investigators planned to move the SkyEye helicopter to Dallas Tuesday for a more detailed inspection, NTSB spokesman Keith Holloway said.
During the investigation Tuesday, an NTSB inspector found a few identifiable pieces of the aircraft, but much of it was burnt. Investigators extracted the engine and sent it to Rolls Royce, its manufacturer, for further review. Federal investigators also are reviewing video found at the scene and looking for radar information.
A Department of Public Safety sergeant said the aircraft crashed into the ground at a steep angle.
Ladd Stanger, a Dallas pilot and practicing attorney, said the information points toward a conclusion that the helicopter suddenly became inoperable. He said the last video shot from the helicopter, which can be viewed on Channel 13’s website, shows the helicopter at a “relatively reasonable altitude,” which most likely means the engine failed abruptly, causing the aircraft to suddenly bank and crash into the ground.
The Bell 206 L-4 helicopter is widely used by news organizations, he said. The Bell 206 model was designed in the 1960s and has been used by military and civilians over the years.
It weighs 4,450 pounds and can seat up to six passengers and a pilot. It’s equipped with a “dependable” turbine engine and has the “best safety record in its class,” according to the Bell helicopter website.
“It’s a really reliable helicopter,” said Stanger, who has flown several.
Since Jan. 1, 2003, of the 155 Bell 206 model aircrafts involved in accidents in the United States, only 25 were fatal, according to NTSB aviation accident statistics. Eight of the 155 accidents involved Bell 206 L-4 aircrafts, none of which resulted in fatalities.
In the past two years, only about 15 percent of the helicopter accidents have ended with fatalities. One was a PHI medical helicopter crash in Huntsville in June. The pilot, flight nurse, flight paramedic and patient died when the helicopter, a Bell 407, crashed into the Sam Houston State Forest. The cause of the crash has not been determined.
Other local helicopter crashes include a KRIV Fox News helicopter crashing into a hair salon near River Oaks in Houston, killing 38-year-old pilot Donald Sumner in November 2000. In May 2001, a KHOU helicopter crashed on the roof of the television station on Allen Parkway. The pilot was treated and released for minor injuries.
While Stanger believes Bell 206 helicopters are safe, he has handled lawsuits in which mechanical issues have caused the aircrafts to malfunction. In two cases, Metro Traffic, which contracts with Channel 13, was leasing the helicopter to news agencies.
In 2002, a KVIL radio helicopter’s engine quit, requiring it to make an emergency landing in Dallas, Stanger said. The case was settled, but the cause of the engine failure was mechanical because a component was not properly tightened.
Stanger is litigating a case in which a Fox 4 helicopter in Dallas was required to make an emergency landing because of engine failure. In this case, the mechanics and the manufacturers are blaming each other, he said.
Although Stanger suspects maintenance as a factor in Monday’s crash, he said Metro Networks’ operator, Helicopters Inc., is recognized in the industry as reputable and established.
It is difficult to learn what causes a crash, Holloway said, and it could take 12-18 months for the investigators to make a determination in Monday’s incident.
“Investigators arrived late last night and they are examining the wreckage today,” Holloway said. “We do not determine the cause on scene … unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of information at this time.”
Smoke bellowing from the crash Monday could be seen by residents from surrounding neighborhoods, although the aircraft landed in a wooded area at least 400 yards from any homes.
Ashton Gustavsen, woke up to the sound of sirens Monday. She walked with her grandparents to the end of Pines Acres Road in Conroe only to find the road blocked by law enforcement. They could see news helicopters circling above and what they believed to be smoke rising up out of the woods.
Residents along Peoples Road said they heard a loud “boom” when the helicopter crashed and that the impact could be felt inside a small building.
By the numbers:
• Of the 461 helicopter accidents in the United States from Jan. 1, 2006, to the present, 70 have resulted in at least one fatality.
• Since Jan. 1, 2003, 155 Bell 206 model aircrafts have had accidents in the United States, with only 25 involving fatalities.
• Only eight of the U.S. accidents since 2003 involved Bell 206 L-4 helicopters (the model involved in Monday’s crash), and none of the accidents resulted in a fatality, excluding the fatal crash Monday in Conroe.
Statistics are from the National Transportation Safety Board’s aviation accident database.
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