Pilot shocker
Survivor wore no harness – other 5 on copter trapped
THE PILOT OF the doomed sightseeing helicopter that crashed into the East River was wearing less restrictive safety gear than his passengers, federal investigators said Monday.
The five passengers who drowned in the March 11 crash were wearing harnesses that had not been approved by the Federal Aviation Administration and safety belts that attached behind them during the ill-fated “open door” flight.
Pilot Richard Vance, the only survivor, wasn’t wearing a harness — only lap and shoulder belts — and easily escaped from the rapidly sinking Liberty Helicopters Airbus AS350 with only minor injuries, the National Transportation Safety Board said.
“It was a deathtrap,” said helicopter crash lawyer Gary Robb of Kansas City, Mo. “They were momentarily shocked by the landing, upside down in frigid water, harnessed in the back, looking for a knife, because they were harnessed in the back. You would have to be Houdini.”
Robb represents the family of Dallas native Trevor Cadigan, 26, who drowned in the crash. “The story is the tragic loss of life,” Robb said. “These were all energetic, talented, ambitious, extraordinary young people, and imagine the horror they experienced.”
Investigators said the helicopter was 11 minutes into its 30-minute evening flight when it suddenly lost power and dropped from the sky.
The chopper rolled over and sank in seconds, even though it was equipped with floats, which may have malfunctioned. Investigators are still examining the floatation system.
The harnesses, attached to a lanyard to prevent passengers from falling out of the chopper, were installed by FlyNYON, the company that sold the tour. The harness system had never been evaluated by the FAA, the safety board said.
Had the flight ended normally, FlyNYON staff would have released a locking carabiner to free the passengers.
“Despite being given a briefing on how to remove these additional harnesses using a provided cutting tool, none of the passengers were able to escape after the helicopter rolled over into the water,” the safety board said.
The safety equipment should have had a single-point release mechanism, but the one on the deadly flight did not, investigators said.
The safety board urged the FAA to order helicopter companies to ban opendoor flights unless they are equipped with quick-release safety harnesses.
“The FAA has not outlined how or when they plan to take action,’’ said safety board Chairman Robert Sumwalt. “Definitive action needs to be taken.”
On Friday, the FAA ordered operators and pilots across the country to replace overly restrictive restraints and banned open-door flights that involve restraints that can’t be released quickly.
The FAA will also examine its rules to see if any changes are necessary, and intends to release a more formal directive.
The FlyNYON website contains pictures of sightseers with their feet literally hanging out of the aircraft hundreds of feet in the air. A FlyNYON official said all flights are currently “doors on, windows down,” but to check back next week.