Pilot of fatal helicopter crash tells investigators fuel supply was turned off in flight

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WASHINGTON – The pilot of an open-door tour helicopter that crashed in New York
City and killed five passengers told federal investigators that the fuel supply
was cut off, with part of a passenger’s restraint underneath the switch,
according to report Monday.

The pilot, Richard Vance, told investigators from the National Transportation
Safety Board that he moved to switch the fuel switch off because the helicopter
was going down on March 11, but it was already off.

He then tried turning it back on and restarting the engine, but it was too late,
according to the NTSB’s preliminary report about the crash.

The report comes to no conclusions about what caused the crash or how it might
have been prevented. The full investigation could take a year or longer.

The five passengers who died in the crash were each wearing harnesses that might
have hindered their escape from the helicopter once it was in the East River.

The Federal Aviation Administration has already ordered a temporary halt to
open-door helicopter tours effective March 22, until a method is devised for
passengers to fly with restraints that don’t need to be cut in an emergency.

The pilot for Liberty Helicopter Tours told investigators he had checked the
passengers’ harnesses and pointed out to them in a pre-flight briefing where the
cutting tool was located, for use in an emergency. But the five passengers were
unable to escape after the crash.

The harnesses weren’t installed by the manufacturer of the Eurocopter AS350 B2,
but were off-the-shelf nylon harnesses attached to each occupant’s back by a
locking carabiner to a lanyard, investigators said.

At one point over the east side of Central Park, the pilot told investigators he
noticed the front-seat passenger’s restraint was hanging from the seat and he
told him to put it back on, which he did.

While they were flying along the park, the pilot said the front-seat passenger
turned sideways, slid across the double-bench seat toward the pilot, leaned back
and extended his feet to take a picture of them outside the helicopter.

As the pilot began a right turn, the nose turned faster than expected, he told
investigators. Engine-pressure and fuel-pressure warning lights came on. The
pilot said he attempted to restart the engine, but was unsuccessful.

When he “committed to impact,” the pilot told investigators he reached down for
the emergency-fuel shutoff lever and realized it was already in the off
position. “He also noted that a portion of the front-seat passenger’s tether was
underneath the lever,” the report said.




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