Helo Pilot's Family Says Faulty Equipment May Have Contributed
To His Death
The NTSB reports Michael Russell, an "accomplished" Augusta
A109C pilot, was killed on January 28, 2003, when his helicopter
impacted terrain about 1.7 NM from Chicago's DuPage Airport.
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the helicopter (file
photo of type, above) while maneuvering, resulting in the excessive
descent rate and impact with terrain. Factors to the accident
included the dark night, low ceiling and reduced visibility at the
time of the accident.