Final Report: Hydraulic failure a factor in NYC newscopter crash | Aviation International News

Final Report: Hydraulic failure a factor in NYC newscopter crash

Eurocopter AS 350BA, Brooklyn, N.Y., May 4, 2004–The NTSB blamed the crash of Helinet Aviation Services’ WNBC News Chopper 4 on the pilot’

By Mary F. Silitch

December 7, 2007

Eurocopter AS 350BA, Brooklyn, N.Y., May 4, 2004–The NTSB blamed the crash of Helinet Aviation Services’ WNBC News Chopper 4 on the pilot’s failure to maintain control after a loss of hydraulic system pressure. The Board labeled as factors the pilot’s misidentification of a hydraulic failure, his failure to perform the appropriate emergency procedure and the improper installation of the hydraulic pump belt by maintenance personnel.

With the helicopter not responding “the way it should be,” the 3,000-hour commercial pilot said he had experienced a “tail rotor failure.” Chopper 4 was seen entering a steep descent before quickly leveling off, then spinning around. It hit the roof of a four-story building.

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