FAA Says A 17-Year-Old Person Was In The Helicopter's Cockpit

It would appear that a six-year-old boy was not responsible for the unauthorized startup of a Mayo Clinic EC145 at an airshow in Mankato, MN over the weekend.

The FAA says it has determined that a 17-year-old person was in the cockpit of the aircraft when the engines were started and the rotors started to turn. They did not specify the gender of the person they say was in the aircraft, but the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said that the teen was alone in the cockpit.

Two people were slightly injured when the rotor wash from the turning blades of the aircraft blew over a display tent, which struck them.

The theory of a six-year-old starting the helicopter came from another teenager ... 15-year-old Agro Gushwa, who was working at the show at the time of the incident. Gushwa recorded video of the incident, and said he saw Mayo aviation employees remove a crying boy from the cockpit whom he estimated to be about six years old.

FMI: www.faa.gov