Witness Says Rotor Stopped Spinning

A pilot and passenger onboard a news helicopter escaped significant harm when their Bell 206B3 JetRanger III lost power, and made a hard landing near I-95 in West Palm Beach, FL.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports WPEC-12 traffic reporter Paul Cavenaugh and pilot Takayuki Tanaka were taken to a local hospital following the accident, which occured just after 0600 local time Tuesday morning. Their injuries were described as non-life-threatening.

Witness Frank Warren said he saw the helicopter's main rotor stop spinning as it neared the ground. "He lost rotor power, and boom," Warren told 850-WTFL.

Both men were able to extract themselves from the stricken helicopter (type shown above), which landed hard on its belly. Tanaka was able to maneuver to avoid nearby power lines, though the JetRanger's tail boom hit a tree and split in half.

Cavenaugh reportedly called the station to report the accident, telling station personnel he was fine and still had "10 fingers and 10 toes."

This was the reporter's second helicopter crash; in 1998, Cavenaugh experienced a wild ride when his helicopter lost a tail rotor blade and began spinning out of control. The helicopter flew that way for about a mile before clipping a palmetto tree. The impact in that accident broke Cavanaugh's ankle.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov