Audio, video reveal moments after North Perry helicopter crash. Here’s the latest
Four people were injured in a helicopter crash at North Perry Airport over the weekend, and investigators are now getting a clearer picture of what happened.
The crash occurred when a Robinson R44 helicopter crashed while departing from North Perry around 11:20 a.m. on Saturday, June 13, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Surveillance video footage and air traffic audio reveal details about the crash, the second accident at or near the airport in a little over two weeks.
“Preliminary information indicates the helicopter was getting ready to lift off when it rolled over,” a National Transportation Safety Board official told the Miami Herald in an email. “As it rolled over, the helicopter hit a parked airplane. The helicopter will be recovered to a secure facility for further examination.”
Surveillance footage obtained by NBC 6 South Florida appears to show the helicopter tipping during takeoff before crashing onto the airfield.
Witnesses told the station the craft was associated with Sky Helicopter Tours, a private touring company based at the Pembroke Pines airport.
“The aircraft had just completed a roundtrip journey from our general aviation airport to the Miami area, according to flight tracking information,” Broward County Aviation spokesperson Arlene Satchell told the Pembroke Pines News in a written statement on June 15.
Satchell said emergency responders transported two people with “non-life-threatening injuries” to Memorial Regional Hospital.
Audio obtained by CBS News Miami details air traffic controllers and the city’s first responders coordinating emergency crews minutes after the crash.
In one moment, a controller tells responders the helicopter is on the east side of the ramp while another asks about the condition of those on the aircraft.
The airport was temporarily closed following the incident, according to CBS.
A witness told CBS the helicopter climbed a short distance before appearing to tip and overcorrect. The helicopter’s blade struck the ground before part of it flew across the airfield, the witness said.
Satchell told Pembroke Pines News that the crash remains under investigation by the FAA. Satchell did not provide additional information on how long airport operations were suspended following the crash.
The crash comes as Broward County continues work on a safety study at North Perry Airport, a year after officials pledged to examine safety and environmental concerns at the county-owned facility.
Most recently, a student pilot and her instructor were involved in a crash on May 29 shortly after taking off from the airport, as the plane struggled to gain enough speed, according to an incident report.
In a media statement issued Saturday after the crash, Satchell said there was “no fuel leak from the accident and no other reports of injuries on the ground.”
“Additionally, as a Broward County-owned and operated airport, safety is a top priority at HWO,” Satchell wrote. “Earlier in May, the general aviation facility passed its Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) annual inspection with zero discrepancy (no safety, regulatory, or operational violations) for the 26th consecutive year.”
