Investigators released a preliminary report Friday on what happened before a fiery helicopter crash that killed a Broward Sheriff's Office Fire Rescue flight medic and a woman when it slammed into a Pompano Beach apartment building last week.
Officials said the BSO Fire Rescue helicopter went down before 9 a.m. Aug. 28 in the area of North Dixie Highway and Atlantic Boulevard, southwest of the Pompano Beach Airpark. Three crewmembers were onboard the helicopter, including Battalion Chief Terryson Jackson.
The report from the National Transportation Safety Board details what the surviving pilot on board told federal investigators.
BSO helicopter crash
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The crew was on their way to respond to a crash involving a mother and her 4-year-old son in North Lauderdale when the pilot heard a "bang" from the rear of the helicopter.
The pilot then noticed the temperature rising on one of the two engines and then saw a cockpit alert indicating there was a fire in that engine, the report said.
Investigators said the pilot tried to activate a fire suppression system, but the engine temperature continued to rise.
"The pilot subsequently heard a second 'bang,' and was unable to control the helicopter," the NTSB report said. "It spun and descended into an apartment building."
Cellphone footage from a witness showed smoke and flames coming from the helicopter before it spun around and quickly fell from the sky. The tail of the chopper appeared to be damaged and coming apart as it made its downward spiraling descent.
The crash killed Jackson and 65-year-old Lurean Wheaton, who was inside her apartment unit.
The helicopter, a Eurocopter EC 135, was manufactured in 1999, the NTSB report said. Its most recent 100-hour inspection was completed back in May.
Following the crash, Tony grounded the three other helicopters in BSO's fleet, pending inspections. On Thursday, commissioners approved a budget that includes $15 million to replace the chopper involved in the crash.
