Aviation News
2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 April 11, 2012
New Zealand Authorities Release Report on Fatal Robinson R22 Helicopter Crash
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of New Zealand has released a report following an investigation of a fatal Robinson R22 helicopter crash, which occurred near Colyers Island on October 14, 2010. Student pilot Allan Douglas Munro, 67, and instructor Jason James Wright, 29, were killed during a flight in which Wright was instructing Munroe on the operation of his R22 helicopter. Pathologists confirmed that Munro died from several severe injuries "consistent with the effect of massive deceleration force," and Wright died from injuries sustained on impact. Though the CAA report did not definitively determine a cause of the fatal crash, the report did indicate the likeliness of the Robinson R22 helicopter experiencing an engine stall during a simulated power loss.
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April 8, 2012
Two Killed in Salinas Small Plane Crash
Two men died Sunday morning when their small aeropbatic plane crashed in a field in Salinas, California. The fatal plane crash occurred near Old Sage Road and Zabala Road, roughly three miles east of Salinas Municipal Airport. Authorities say pilot George Alfred Mellone III, 32, and passenger David Gary Ostendorf were flying a single engine Extra Flugzeugbau EA-300 aircraft designed for aerobatic competition. Both men were pronounced dead on the scene when firefighters found the plane's wreckage shortly after 7 a.m. According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the EA-300 had been in a 1993 crash, but its registration is current and the plane has necessary airworthiness certificates. The plane is registered to Interval LLC out of Grand Forks, North Dakota. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will be investigating the small plane crash in Salinas.
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March 30, 2012
Two Men Killed in Alaska Plane Crash
Two men were killed Friday when a small plane crashed on a private landing strip near the Holtna River in western Alaska. The men were the only two people aboard the plane, a Piper Super Cub, when it went down for reasons currently unknown. The Piper Super Cub, a two-seat monoplane, was registered to one of the men who died in the crash. Both bodies are currently en route to Anchorage for autopsy. Though not much is currently known about the cause of Friday's fatal plane crash in Alaska, authorities from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating.
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March 27, 2012
GE to Pay $70 Million in Damages From 2008 Helicopter Crash
A verdict was reached Tuesday by a Multnomah County, Oregon jury that held helicopter engine manufacturer General Electric Co. liable for $70 million in damages stemming from a 2008 helicopter accident that killed nine firefighters and injured four others. The fatal crash occurred on August 5, 2008 near the border of California and Oregon when a Sikorsky S-61N helicopter, transporting firefighters from a wildfire in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, crashed shortly after takeoff. The lawsuit was filed by co-pilot William Coultas, who survived the crash, and the widow of pilot Roark Schwanenbeg. The allegations against GE state that the helicopter engine manufacturer knew of a design flaw with the engines they were making for Sikursky helicopters, making them unsafe. The jury sided with this argument, finding that GE was 57 percent to blame for the crash. Helicopter owner Carson Helicopters was found to be 23 percent to blame for the fatal crash, and helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky was found to be 20 percent liable. A spokesman for GE says they will appeal the decision.
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March 14, 2012
Small Plane Crash Leaves Two Dead in Oregon
A Cessna 150 airplane crashed on Wednesday in Columbia County, Oregon, killing a 47-year-old flight instructor and a 17-year-old student. Authorities say flight instructor Todd Norrish and student Jimmy Kravets died on impact when their small plane crashed in a rural area amid bad weather. Norrish and Kravets were the only two aboard the plane. The single engine Cessna took off Wednesday afternoon from Pearson Field Airport and was reported missing at around 10 p.m. The plane was expected back at the airport before dark. Authorities found the crash site at 3:30 a.m. on Thursday morning, pronouncing Norrish and Kravets dead at the scene. At this time, investigators are uncertain what caused the Cessna to crash. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are spearheading the investigation.
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February 27, 2012
Advisory/Dawson [Lee] v. Robinson Helicopter Company Trial
Begins March 5, 2012 in Seattle, Washington
The trial of Dawson [Lee] v. Robinson Helicopter Company begins March 5, 2012 in Seattle, Washington over the death of Si Young Lee arising from the August 2, 2007 Robinson R44 II helicopter crash near Easton, Washington. The helicopter experienced a low energy impact with the ground, whereupon it erupted in a fire, killing the pilot and three passengers. The eruption caused a forest fire that burned for several days, destroying 485 acres.
February 9, 2012
New Hampshire Small Plane Crash Kills Pilot
A single-engine Cessna T182T crashed Thursday afternoon in Lebanon, New Hampshire, killing the pilot. The fatal plane crash occurred near one of the runways at the Lebanon Municipal Airport. A spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the pilot was the only person aboard the plane when it went down at around 2 p.m. It appears that the plane took off from the airport and tried to return moments after take-off. The Cessna crashed roughly 500 feet from Runway 18 on airport property. The FAA is investigating the fatal crash.
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February 4, 2012
Award-Winning Filmmakers Die in Fiery Australian Helicopter Crash
American cinematographer Mike deGruy and Australian writer/producer Andrew Wight were killed when the Robinson R44 helicopter they were traveling in crashed in Eastern Australia on Saturday afternoon local time. Authorities believe the seven-year-old helicopter went down shortly after taking off from an airstrip near Nowra, roughly 97 miles south of Sydney. Wight, 52, was reportedly piloting the Robinson R44 helicopter when it crashed with 60-year-old deGruy also onboard. Australian investigators said the chopper was seen hovering a mere 30 feet from the ground shortly before it crashed and erupted into flames.
"It is cruelly ironic that he died flying a helicopter, which was second nature to him, like driving a car would be to most people," said filmmaker James Cameron, who was a close personal friend of both Wight and deGruy. It is believed that the two men were beginning work on a 3D documentary about Papua New Guinea. At this time, the cause of Saturday's helicopter crash is unknown, but Australia's Transport Safety Bureau has investigators at the crash site.
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January 26, 2012
Investigators Still Puzzled Over Last Week's Chopper Crash in Louisiana
Authorities from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are still trying to piece together what caused a fatal Robinson R-44 helicopter crash last Thursday near Morgan City, Louisiana. The crash killed pilot Jason McKean, 40, and passenger Lanny Ledet, 44. Ledet's company, Cenac Marine Services, owned the Robinson R-44 helicopter. NTSB officials say the chopper went down near Belle Isle, roughly 13 miles southwest of Morgan City, and immediately burst into flames. The two men left Houma-Terrebonne Airport at around 8:30 a.m. without a flight plan. NTSB officials will release a preliminary report on the crash next week. The final report could take up to 18 months to complete.
The aviation team at Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman have represented more than 575 victims in a wide variety of air accidents, including many helicopter crashes. Our attorneys have handled six crashes involving Robinson Helicopters, including three accidents involving the R44 model. Baum Hedlund is currently representing the family of a man killed in a fiery Robinson R44 crash in Washington state as well as the families of two men killed in a Robinson R66 helicopter crash in Colombia, South America.
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January 19, 2012
Two Men Killed in Fiery Robinson Helicopter Crash
A Robinson R44 helicopter crashed in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana on Thursday morning, killing the two men on board. According to authorities, the helicopter took off from the Houma-Terrebonne Airport about an hour before it crashed near Belle Isle. The helicopter, owned by Cenac Marine Services LLC, erupted into flames after crashing into a marshy area, authorities said. Killed in the crash were Cenac employee Lanny Ledet, 43, and experienced helicopter pilot Jason McKean, 40. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have sent investigators to the crash site. It is still unclear what caused the Robinson helicopter to crash. According to the NTSB, This is the eleventh fatal Robinson R44 helicopter crash in the past 12 months.
The aviation attorneys at Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman have represented more than 575 victims in a wide variety of accidents, including many helicopter crashes. Our team has handled several crashes involving Robinson Helicopters, including three accidents involving the R44 model. Baum Hedlund is currently representing the families of men killed in Robinson R44 helicopters that crashed in Washington state and Arkansas, as well as the first crash of the newly designed Robinson R66 turbine helicopter that occurred in Colombia, South America.
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