BREAKING NEWS: Copter Crash On Long Island
Micbloo
It was around 8:24PM tonite and I was simultaneously packing for my holiday
trip to DC/Md. tomorrow and taping "Metallica" live with an orchestra at MSG
when I decided to turn on my Bearcat to see what is up. Immediately I hear the
voice of Suffolk County PD K-9 # 4 on scene at MacArthur Airport advising of a
confirmed helicopter crash on the grounds of the airport. She radios to both
the Command dispatcher and SC Aviation Base that the crash looks very serious.
Already airport Crash/Rescue on scene and numerous PD ESB (Emergency Services
Bureau) also. The ESB Base is quite close to the crash scene. As is SC Aviation
base and their flight medic and others are going to the crash site.Many other
FD and PD resources rushing in. AU Base radioed tower and I'm pretty sure I
heard from AU that the copter is a military ship. The NY Air National Guard
have a large facility at MacArthur flying Hueys and Blackhawks. There is also
DENSE FOG around. We've had unseasonable temps the last few days and with high
humidity the fog is very thick and has been rolling in every night. Around 7PM
when I came home there was no fog and skies looked clear but I just looked
outside and the dense stuff is back. MacArthur is about 25 minutes from my
house. Possibly, and I mean possibly, the crew got caught in the fog rolling
in. Of course that is pure speculation and I know guys out there hate
speculation but just an idea to throw out. As of now all units at the crash
have switched up to an 800mhz band which I dont have on my scanner so I'll have
to wait until the local news at 10PM for an update. Hope all is well with the
crew.
Gerard
Jos Stevens
(www.heli-news.com):
"One Killed in National Guard Crash
November 23, 1999
(RONKONKOMA, NEW YORK) - One person was killed and three were critically
injured when an Army National Guard helicopter crashed at Long
Island-McArthur airport late Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.
No other information was immediately available."
Regards,
Jos.
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Jos M.G.F. Stevens private e-mail: roto...@xoommail.com
Helicopter Department business e-mail: ste...@nlr.nl
tel.: +31 (0)20 511 3299 fax: +31 (0)20 511 3210
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Anthony Fokkerweg 2 1059 CM Amsterdam The Netherlands
PO Box 90502 1006 BM Amsterdam The Netherlands
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Micbloo
>November 23, 1999
>
As of now (just waking up, 5:20AM)) two are dead, two very critical. It was a
UH-1 Huey.
"Eye"witness reports hearing a strange engine sound before the crash.
Gerard
SLH272
RONKONKOMA, N.Y. (AP) - Investigators were seeking the cause of a
helicopter crash that killed two Army National Guard members and
injured two others on Long Island.
The helicopter, with only the four people aboard, crashed shortly
before 8:30 p.m. Tuesday during a training flight at Long
Island-McArthur Airport, police said.
One victim suffered a cardiac arrest at the scene, while another was
declared dead at Brookhaven Memorial Hospital, police said.
The other two victims, one of whom was the pilot, were taken to Stony
Brook University Hospital, where they were listed in critical
condition, hospital spokeswoman Ellen Barohn said.
A witness, Hector Comargo, an engineer from Los Angeles staying at the
nearby Holiday Inn, said he heard the chopper make a strange sound and
then crash into the ground.
"I heard a helicopter real, real close by here. I never hear that," he
said. "I looked out the window ... then I heard a loud boom."
He said the helicopter sounded as though it were trying to make a quick
landing.
"There was a different tune of the rotor," he said.
Three hours after the crash, firefighters and other emergency personnel
were still on the scene as the National Guard and local police began
setting up a temporary command post.
Edwin Michel, chief of the patrol division for the Suffolk County
police, said no names would be released until the families of the
victims could be notified.
He said the investigation into the accident would be led by Army
investigators with assistance from the Federal Aviation Administration
and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Visibility was about one-quarter of a mile at Islip on Tuesday and a
dense fog advisory had been issued for the night, National Weather
Service meteorologist Peter Wichrowski said.
(from www.newsday.com)
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Arnold B. Christensen
those guys out there when I was on active duty. I have a little interest
in who it was although by now most if not all the guy I knew are
probably retired.
Chris the Bigfoot
Arnold B. Christensen
SLH272
Two critical after Army National Guard accident near MacArthur
By Tom Demoretcky
Staff Writer
An Army National Guard helicopter flying in heavy fog with four people
on board crashed near a runway of Long Island MacArthur Airport last
night, killing two people and seriously injuring the others.
Suffolk police said the copter went down at 8:22 p.m. near the
airport's Runway 6, and the injured were taken to University Hospital
and Medical Center at Stony Brook and Brookhaven Memorial Hospital.
Police said one person was dead at the scene, and another died at
Brookhaven Memorial.
Ellen Barohn, spokeswoman for the Stony Brook hospital, confirmed that
two people had been brought there, including the pilot, and that they
were in critical condition. They were being operated on last night.
The Army National Guard, which has an installation at the airport, will
be the investigating agency, Suffolk police said.
Police said the downed copter was a Bell UH-1, commonly known as a
"Huey," and that there was no fire when it hit.
Scott Sandman, a spokesman for the New York State Division of Military
and Naval Affairs, said the helicopter was on a routine instrument
flight. He identified the Army unit as Army Aviation Support Facility
No. 1, at the airport.
"We have no read on a cause," he said, adding that the Army and the Air
National Guard would be investigating.
Suffolk police said they were unable to airlift victims to hospitals
because the fog was too heavy for them to fly their helicopter.
Mike Oztas, an attendant at a nearby Getty gas station, heard the
crash. "I heard a loud bang, but I didn't know it was a helicopter," he
said. "It sounded like a car crash, only louder. A guy was listening to
his CB and said it was a helicopter crash. But I didn't know before."
Another witness, Hector Camargo of East Los Angeles, here on business,
said he heard the helicopter engine struggling before the crash. "When
he landed, I heard a big old scratching sound, like when a car crashes
and bam!"
N90761
approach (IFR I guess), in foggy conditions. Apparently the A/C crashed
inverted and it seems to be a case of spatial disorientation/unusual attitude.
Micbloo
>those guys out there when I was on active duty.
If I get any names I'll let you know.
Gerard
Micbloo
Chris, go to Thursdays Newsday. They have a big story with names of all the
victims.
Gerard
Snakedrvr
time for real IFR......