Spectators Witness Copters Go Down

One pilot was killed Sunday night when his Aerospatiale AS350B helicopter apparently struck another while landing at Homestead-Miami Speedway outside Miami, as fans who had just watched a NASCAR race looked on.

According to witnesses at the scene, the Aerospatiale (file photo of type, above), registered to Miami's Biscayne Helicopters Inc., struck the rudder of a second, smaller helicopter above Turn 2 at the southeast corner of the speedway. The Ford 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup race had just wrapped up about one half hour before.

"In about three seconds after it hit, it went up in flames," said onlooker Diane Terry to the Associated Press. "I was just stupefied. My motor home is right across from it."

The larger helicopter crashed onto a motorhome inside the concourse at the track. The 24-year old pilot, who was not identified, was taken to a nearby hospital but was pronounced dead an hour later, according to media reports.

The smaller helicopter, believed to be a Eurocopter owned by Wells Fargo Bank,  was forced down onto the helipad it had just departed, landing on its side. No one onboard that helicopter were injured, according to Miami-Dade Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Richard Martin.

"[The helicopters] had either a mid-air collision or a near-midair collision," said Martin.

It was not immediately clear if anyone was inside the RV.

FAA and NTSB investigators were on scene Sunday night to determine the cause of the accident.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov