14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, October 04, 2011 in New York, NY
Aircraft: BELL 206B, registration: N63Q
Injuries: 1 Fatal,2 Serious,2 Uninjured.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators traveled in support of this investigation and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On October 4, 2011, at 1525 eastern daylight time, a Bell 206B, N63Q, registered to a private owner, crashed into the East River during takeoff from East 34th Street Heliport (6N5), New York, New York. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local flight. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the airframe. The certificated commercial pilot and one passenger were not injured. Two passengers sustained serious injuries and one passenger was killed. The flight originated from 6N5 at 1524.
The pilot stated to NTSB investigators that he was taking friends on a local sightseeing flight. He stated that he landed at the heliport, picked up the 4 passengers, and initiated a takeoff to the northeast. The helicopter climbed to a pilot-estimated altitude between 30 to 50 feet over the East River. Shortly thereafter, the pilot experienced a problem which included a small left yaw. He then initiated a right turn to attempt to return and land at the heliport but the helicopter became uncontrolled and impacted the water. After water entry, the helicopter rolled inverted.
During the impact, three-fourths of one main rotor blade separated and was not recovered from the river. The remainder of the helicopter was recovered and transported to a hangar for examination. The engine was retained for a subsequent examination.
The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, airplane multiengine land, and rotorcraft helicopter. He reported a total flight experience of 2,287 hours, of which 1,500 hours were in helicopters, including 420 hours in the same make and model as the accident helicopter.
The helicopter was manufactured in 1976 and equipped with a Rolls-Royce (Allison) model 250, 400-horsepower, turboshaft engine. The most recent annual inspection was performed on October 2, 2011. At that time, the helicopter had accumulated approximately 11,580 total flight hours.
A third woman has died from injuries she suffered in last month’s tragic East River helicopter crash, The Post has learned.
Harriet Nicholson, 60, was pronounced dead earlier this morning at Bellevue Hospital, where she had been in critical condition since the Oct. 4 disaster, sources revealed.
The cause of death was “respiratory complications of near drowning” and the time of death was 3:22 a.m., according to the medical examiner’s office.
Nicholson’s daughter, Sonia Marra, 40, was found dead in the wreckage. Marra’s partner, Helen Tamaki, 43, died Oct. 11 at Bellevue of complications caused by a lack of oxygen to her brain after she nearly drowned in the tragedy.
Nicholson’s husband, Paul, 71, survived the crash relatively unscathed, as did pilot Paul Dudley.
The family had been visiting New York to celebrate Marra’s 40th birthday and were going for a quick sightseeing tour past the Empire State Building when Dudley, 56, lost control of his 1976 Bell Ranger chopper just after taking off from the East 34th Street Heliport.
The copter had been through a routine inspection two days prior to the fatal crash, and NTSB investigators have ruled out engine failure. A final report on the exact cause could take up to a year to be released.
http://www.nypost.com
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