NTSB Issues Preliminary Report On SoCal Helo Accident | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-04.29.24

Airborne-Unlimited-04.23.24

Airborne-Unlimited-04.24.24 Airborne-FltTraining-04.25.24

Airborne-Unlimited-04.26.24

Wed, Feb 06, 2008

NTSB Issues Preliminary Report On SoCal Helo Accident

Witnesses Say R-22 Was Flying Low Over Freeway Before Impact

On Monday, the National Transportation Safety Board released its Preliminary Report on the January 25 downing of a Robinson R-22. As ANN reported, the accident claimed the life of the recently-certificated pilot onboard.

Of note, the NTSB reports the pilot's instructor told investigators the pilot, 29-year-old Michael Patrick O'Neill, "seemed down and indicated that he wanted to perform a solo flight that night," instead of the dual instructional flight that was scheduled.

Officials declined to comment on whether that statement indicates O'Neill may have been despondent prior to the accident flight. "As part of any crash investigation, we try to understand what every pilot was thinking or going through," NTSB investigator Zoe Keliher told The Daily Breeze.

The CFI also told investigators O'Neill called him on his cell phone about an hour after he departed, stating he was having problems with his new noise-cancellation headset. The CFI gave O'Neill a few tips to deal with the problem, after which O'Neill indicated he would soon head back to the flight's origination point of Zamperini Field in Torrance, CA.

Limited to flying at-or-below 500 feet by air traffic control due to traffic landing to the east at LAX, O'Neill flew low over the Harbor Freeway (Interstate 110), prompting several witnesses to note the helo's unusual altitude. One witness described seeing a spark, similar to a sparkling firework, before the helo plummeted and impacted the freeway.

Power lines were located adjacent to the wreckage, with two transmission towers on either side of the freeway and static lines across the I-110 at about 120 feet AGL. A City of Los Angeles Water and Power superintendent noted one of those lines had a six-to-eight-inch abrasion along its surface.

A final report on the accident will be released within the next 12 months.

FMI: Read The NTSB Prelim

Advertisement

More News

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (04.26.24): DETRESFA (Distress Phrase)

DETRESFA (Distress Phrase) The code word used to designate an emergency phase wherein there is reasonable certainty that an aircraft and its occupants are threatened by grave and i>[...]

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (04.26.24)

"General aviation is at the forefront of developing and introducing innovative technologies that will transform the entire aviation industry..." Source: Kyle Martin, Vice President>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (04.27.24): Direct

Direct Straight line flight between two navigational aids, fixes, points, or any combination thereof. When used by pilots in describing off-airway routes, points defining direct ro>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (04.27.24)

Aero Linx: Women in Corporate Aviation Women in Corporate Aviation support individuals seeking career advancement and professional development in the business aviation industry. Me>[...]

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (04.27.24)

“We would like to thank the many volunteers that help throughout the year to pull off the event, as well as the several reviewers, judges, and SURVICE staff that provide team>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2024 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC