Suit Brought By Driver Of A Truck Hit By The Aircraft As It Went Down Shortly After Takeoff

The driver of a truck who was injured when a Eurocopter AS350 B2 helicopter belonging to KOMO-TV in Seattle went down shortly after takeoff has sued the company that owns the station, Airbus Helicopters, and the estate of the pilot two years after the accident occurred.

Pilot Gary Pfitzner and photographer Bill Strothman were both fatally injured when the helo went down on March 18, 2014. The aircraft impacted a truck being driven by Guillermo Sanchez, who was stopped at a traffic signal when the aircraft came down.

The Bellingham Herald reports that Guillermo suffered injuries to his ankle and shoulder escaping from his burning truck, as well as anxiety and "severe and permanent Post Traumatic Stress Disorder" as a result of the accident, according to court documents.

According to the NTSB's factual report, the Electronic News Gathering (ENG) equipped helicopter had landed on the KOMO News helipad about 30 minutes prior to the accident. The purpose was to refuel for its repositioning flight to RNT. A witness who was located on the south side of the helipad reported that he observed the helicopter initially lift off of the helipad to about 15 ft, followed by a muffled sound like a car backfiring. The witness opined that after lifting off it immediately pointed nose up, and began rotating counter-clockwise, after which it rotated out of sight. A second witness, who was stationed in a crane a few hundred feet to the northeast of the helipad, reported that he observed the helicopter lift up off of the helipad, turn toward the west, and then shot straight back with its nose up, and out of control. It then nosed down into the street below. The helicopter descended into an occupied automobile near a main street intersection, after which a postimpact fire ensued.

During the investigation, a review of three security camera recordings, which were provided to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) by the Seattle Police Department, revealed that the helicopter initially landed on the helipad, and remained stationary for about 15 minutes. The helicopter lifted off and simultaneously began to rotate counter-clockwise in a near level attitude. The helicopter continued to rotate counter-clockwise for about 180 degrees while it ascended slightly above the elevated helipad, after which it began to ascend further while moving slightly away from the elevated helipad. After the helicopter completed about a 360-degree rotation, the helicopter transitioned to a nose-low (tail-high) attitude while it continued to rotate counter-clockwise. The helicopter rotated counter-clockwise another 180 degrees, and then began to lose altitude while moving rapidly away from the elevated helipad. The helicopter then descended until ground impact.

Examination of the accident site revealed that the helicopter came to rest on its right side, oriented on a magnetic heading of about 050 degrees. A vehicle located east of the main wreckage was fire damaged. Another vehicle, which was located immediately west of the main wreckage and oriented on a southerly heading, exhibited impact damage. All major structural components of the helicopter were located in the immediate area of the main wreckage. Wreckage debris was located within an approximate 340 foot radius to the main wreckage.'

(Image from file)

FMI: www.ntsb.gov