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Report points to rotor problem in Arizona police helicopter crash that killed 2 during gunfight
The NTSB found the crash was caused by an abrupt main rotor failure, not gunfire, killing two on board during a police shootout, officials said.
- On the night of Feb. 4, the National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report said a main-rotor mechanical problem caused the crash that killed Arizona Department of Public Safety trooper paramedic Hunter Bennett, 28, and pilot Robert Skankey, 61.
- The aircraft had been circling to provide a bird's-eye view over an active shootout, slowing to almost a hover about 1,000 feet while police exchanged fire with suspect Terrell Storey, 50, who moved across roofs in a residential neighborhood.
- Investigators found three rotor blades 165 feet from the main wreckage and the fourth 650 feet away, with impact marks on the tail boom 135 feet from the wreckage, and captured 'we're going down,' on a police radio feed.
- A grand jury on Feb. 12 indicted the defendant on two counts of first-degree felony murder and dozens of other charges, with the next hearing scheduled for April 16.
- Investigators caution that a final NTSB report with definitive answers is likely a year or more away, while John Cox said the rotor system uncoupled very quickly, leaving transmission or engine involvement unclear.
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Report points to rotor problem in Arizona police helicopter crash that
A radio feed from a police helicopter captured two loud banging sounds and a voice saying “we’re going down,” just before it crashed, killing the two people on board, according to a preliminary investigation report released Tuesday. The crash the night of Feb. 4 killed Arizona Department of Public Safety trooper paramedic Hunter Bennett, 28, and pilot Robert Skankey, 61. Much of the helicopter’s fuselage including the cockpit and cabin burned in…
·Baltimore, United States
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Associated Press News+10 Reposted by 10 other sources
Report points to rotor problem in Arizona police helicopter crash that killed 2 during gunfight
A preliminary report points to a significant mechanical problem before a deadly police helicopter crash that happened during a shootout in Flagstaff, Arizona.
·United States
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources16
Leaning Left4Leaning Right1Center10Last UpdatedBias Distribution66% Center
Bias Distribution
- 66% of the sources are Center
66% Center
L 27%
C 66%
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