Tue, Jun 05, 2012
Pilot Was Reportedly Disoriented By Fog
No injuries resulted from an emergency landing on a CT beach by a helicopter whose pilot was disoriented by low visibility in fog. Witnesses at the scene reported the aircraft flying low over the Thames River at approximately 1600 EDT before landing on a private beach adjacent to the Thames Yacht Club.
According to Capt. Steve Crowley of the New London Police Department, the aircraft was en route to Groton-New London Airport and got lost in the thick fog. “He was trying to find any place to land once he got fogged in and couldn’t see,” said Crowley. Information on the identity of the pilot or passenger was not available, although bystanders said the passenger was a fighter competing in a mixed martial arts competition at the Mohegan Sun Arena nearby. The casino reportedly sent a limousine to pick up the passenger but he had already left the scene in another vehicle.
The Groton Patch reports that Michael Peterson, steward of the Thames Yacht Club estimated the helicopter flew 10 or 20 feet over the building heading upriver. When it turned and began flying downriver Peterson tried to signal the pilot. “I was waving at him because he was going right toward the Pfizer buildings, and they’re pretty tall,” he said. Another witness, Don Gesswin said the helicopter had a close call with the mast of a sailboat moored in the river. “It was so close to a mast that we actually hid behind a boat, because we thought it was going to hit it,” said Gesswin.
The New London Fire Department was first to respond, and Battalion Chief Keith Nichols said “The pilot was being very evasive and refusing to answer any questions.” The aircraft involved was an Aerospatiale A-Star owned by Meridian Consulting I Corp Inc. of Kearny, N.J. It is part of the fleet of Liberty Helicopters, a charter company operating out of New York City. A spokesman for the FAA said that the aircraft would likely have to stay on the beach until it could be examined for any possible damage.
More News
Aviation Governance Secured...At Least For a While The National Business Aviation Association similarly applauded the passage of the FAA's recent reauthorization, contentedly recou>[...]
Emphasis On Growing The Future of Aviation Through Concentration on 'AFFORDABLE FLYERS' It's been a number of years since the Latest Edition of Jim Campbell's HUGE SportPlane Resou>[...]
Amazilia Aerospace GmbH, Develops Digital Flight Control, Flight Guidance And Vehicle Management Systems Textron eAviation has acquired substantially all the assets of Amazilia Aer>[...]
Honeywell's Primus Brings New Tools and Niceties for Hawker Operators Hawker 4000 business jet operators have a new installation on the table, now that the FAA has granted an STC f>[...]
Company Celebrates Niche-but-Important Advancement in Industry Standards Echodyne has announced full integration of its proprietary 'EchoFlight' radar into the e American Aerospace>[...]