Cranes are required by law to have lights visible at 1000 feet on a horizontal sight line.All persons who fly fixed or rotary wing aircraft are briefed on location and height.
I doubt he hit a crane.
Posted on 01/11/2005 12:35:54 PM PST by crushelits
Copter Crashes in River; 2 Die |
Craft Hit Something, Survivor Tells Rescuers |
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Authorities resumed their search this morning for one of two crew members who police said died when a medical evacuation helicopter crashed into the Potomac River late last night near the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. Firefighters and police rescued one man from the water and recovered a single body just after the helicopter went down shortly after 11 p.m. several hundred yards off the National Harbor development in Prince George's County. Authorities said they believed a third crew member, whose body has not been recovered, was dead. The rescued man was identified early this afternoon by officials of Air Methods Corp., which operated the helicopter, as Jonathan Godfrey, a nurse on the flight. Paramedic Nicole Kielar's body was recovered. The pilot, Joseph Schaffer, has not been found. A crane pulled the wreckage of the EC 135 chopper from the Potomac after 8 a.m. today. The private medical evacuation service was returning from Washington Hospital Center to its base in Stafford County, about 40 miles south. No patient was on board at the time.
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(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
I commute over the Wilson Bridge (Potomac River)every weekday, near the site of the crash. There are many, many tall construction cranes in the area. I assume, this was an accident waiting to happen, especially to a pilot who is not familiar with the area and also the airspace is the approach/takeoff for Reagan National Airport.
Prayers for those involved....
This reminds me of the airliner that crashed in the Potomac on cold winter's day. The rescue footage was incredible. Sometime in the '80's I think...
Heard on Foxnews earlier that the survivor said the copter was hit by a hard object. Terrorists?
a huge crane, one of many that litters the crash site, imho.
Air Florida, my friends dad died in that crash,it was awful.
Sorry to hear that you lost your dad in that awful tragedy. Cable TV had just come into our area, and they covered the tragic crash, live. My sympathies and prayers are with you.
It certainly left an impression with me. Apparently there was a lot of coverage of the rescue operation and I can remember clearly the snow, the ice on the river and the rescuers (and civilians) doing a spectacular job in those conditions trying to save the crash survivors.
I'm sorry about the loss of your friend's dad.
Bird perhaps.
Terrorists have bigger fish to fry than a small chopper.
Lenny Skutnik was the hero of the day.
Cranes are required by law to have lights visible at 1000 feet on a horizontal sight line.I could be wrong of course.
I respectfully disagree with you, as I mentioned, I drive by the bridge/construction area, and there are many huge cranes. In direct line with the flight path of the chopper that went down, the pilot, is from Stafford, VA,40 miles from the accident. Just my theory.
I just read the article, and it is possible, with the 300 foot rule, that he did indeed hit a crane.I could be wrong, but with the cranes, Reagan National jets in the same area, and copters fly up and down the river all day long. just a guess, we shall see, still an awful tragedy.
Nice looking aircraft.
I like the shrouded tail rotor, no "whump-whump".I saw a reference to the National Harbor development. Do you know if this development includes a conference center to be run by Gaylord Entertainment?
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