At least three people were killed in a helicopter crash near the Grand Canyon Saturday with a sightseeing company behind the 2001 deaths of five New Yorkers.
The chopper, operated by the Nevada-based Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters, had at least seven people on board, including the pilot, when it crashed on the Hualapai Nation reservation just before 5:30 p.m., Police Chief Francis Bradley said.
Four other passengers could not be airlifted to safety due to swift winds near Quartermaster Canyon, despite being critically injured in the fiery wreckage, according to KSNV-TV.
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The victims in the crash were not identified.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer identified the downed aircraft as a Eurocopter EC130. He was unable to elaborate on where the helicopter went down or the cause of the crash.
The aircraft, which took off from its Las Vegas facility, sustained “substantial damage,” Kenitzer said in an email.
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An employee who answered Papillon’s aerial tour reservations phone line late Saturday declined to comment on the crash. Spokeswomen for the company did not immediately respond to repeated requests for comment.
The company has undergone about a dozen aviation probes by the National Transportation Safety Board since 2001, when five people from Brooklyn were killed during a canyon tour.
The pilot lost control of the American Eurocopter AS350 aircraft and crashed near the Grand Wash Cliffs, killing six people on board. Chana Daskal, who was badly burned, was the sole survivor of the crash that claimed the life of her husband, four friends and the pilot.
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Gary Robb, the attorney who represented Daskal, noted that Papillon had made safety improvements since the deadly 2001 incident. Flying in the Grand Canyon remains a danger due to heavy air traffic, he added.
“This is not just the fact that a helicopter crashed, this is a human tragedy. People died and were horribly injured. It’s a tragedy for human beings,” Robb said.
NTSB reports show that pilots were often the lone occupants during helicopter crashes involving the company, referred to as Papillon Airways in some investigations.
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In 2002, a pilot was killed during a botched landing and a second pilot died in 2014 as he stopped to go to the bathroom. He failed to turn off the aircraft during the pit stop and was struck by a spinning rotor blade as he stepped out.
One of the earliest crashes in NTSB records notes that, in 1999, one person died and another was seriously injured when the chopper hit a tree during a crash landing.
A helicopter with six passengers on board crashed in 2009 due to engine failure. No one was hurt.
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The chopper, operated by the Nevada-based Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters, had at least seven people on board, including the pilot, when it crashed on the Hualapai Nation reservation just before 5:30 p.m., Police Chief Francis Bradley said.
Four other passengers could not be airlifted to safety due to swift winds near Quartermaster Canyon, despite being critically injured in the fiery wreckage, according to KSNV-TV.
Plane carrying 71 people crashes outside of Moscow
The victims in the crash were not identified.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer identified the downed aircraft as a Eurocopter EC130. He was unable to elaborate on where the helicopter went down or the cause of the crash.
The aircraft, which took off from its Las Vegas facility, sustained “substantial damage,” Kenitzer said in an email.
Man who fatally shot girlfriend threatened to kill grandmother
An employee who answered Papillon’s aerial tour reservations phone line late Saturday declined to comment on the crash. Spokeswomen for the company did not immediately respond to repeated requests for comment.
The company has undergone about a dozen aviation probes by the National Transportation Safety Board since 2001, when five people from Brooklyn were killed during a canyon tour.
The pilot lost control of the American Eurocopter AS350 aircraft and crashed near the Grand Wash Cliffs, killing six people on board. Chana Daskal, who was badly burned, was the sole survivor of the crash that claimed the life of her husband, four friends and the pilot.
Stubborn high school refuses to allow ‘Malcolm X’ on student’s senior sweater despite outcry
Gary Robb, the attorney who represented Daskal, noted that Papillon had made safety improvements since the deadly 2001 incident. Flying in the Grand Canyon remains a danger due to heavy air traffic, he added.
“This is not just the fact that a helicopter crashed, this is a human tragedy. People died and were horribly injured. It’s a tragedy for human beings,” Robb said.
NTSB reports show that pilots were often the lone occupants during helicopter crashes involving the company, referred to as Papillon Airways in some investigations.
Teacher adopts problem student who almost made her give up on education — and his little brother
In 2002, a pilot was killed during a botched landing and a second pilot died in 2014 as he stopped to go to the bathroom. He failed to turn off the aircraft during the pit stop and was struck by a spinning rotor blade as he stepped out.
One of the earliest crashes in NTSB records notes that, in 1999, one person died and another was seriously injured when the chopper hit a tree during a crash landing.
A helicopter with six passengers on board crashed in 2009 due to engine failure. No one was hurt.
read more
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