Connecticut pilot sole survivor in helicopter crash

DANBURY — The pilot of the helicopter that crashed in New York City’s East River on Sunday night, killing five passengers, is well-trained and has years of experience, according to another local pilot who has known him for several years.

Richard Vance, 33, of Danbury, was the sole survivor of the crash, which occurred in the early evening during a charter air tour that began in New Jersey and ended when the chopper slammed into the water off 90th Street in Manhattan. Vance escaped from the Eurocopter AS350 and was rescued by a tugboat, but the other passengers were unable to free themselves from their harnesses and died when the helicopter turned over in the water.

Michael DeMarchi, chief pilot at Centennial Helicopters in Danbury, said he has known Vance for at least five years as a fellow flyer.

“He’s an excellent pilot, very good pilot, very good flying instructor,” DeMarchi said.

The helicopter, a private charter hired for a photo shoot, went down near Gracie Mansion, the mayoral residence. Video taken by a witness and posted on Twitter shows the aircraft rapidly losing altitude, hitting the river surface and slowly capsizing, its rotors slapping at the water.

The Associated Press reported Vance had called “Mayday, mayday, mayday: East River — engine failure,” in an emergency radio call as the aircraft foundered.

Vance was treated and released from New York Presbyterian Hospital. No one answered when a reporter knocked on the door of his Danbury home Monday morning.

Authorities are still investigating the cause of the crash. The AP quoted an anonymous official as saying that Vance has told investigators a passenger’s bag might have accidentally hit the emergency fuel shutoff button.

The National Transportation Safety Board is reportedly examining why an emergency flotation device installed on the helicopter apparently did not deploy properly. The device is supposed to ensure that the aircrafts stays upright rather than overturning and submerging.

The FAA said Vance received a commercial pilot’s license in September 2011 to operate rotorcraft and instrument helicopters.

DeMarchi said pilots for the charter company, Liberty Helicopters, are well-trained.

“Liberty is a very reputable company and I know they do regular training,” he said.

But DeMarchi said there might have been little Vance could have done to prevent the crash.

“I think his biggest challenge was it was getting dark and it was over water, which gives you poor depth perception,” DeMarchi said. “There really isn’t a whole lot going in his favor. I’m sure (that in) different circumstances, it would have turned out differently.”

The AP reported that Liberty has been involved in at least five accidents or other incidents in the last 10 years, citing FAA data. “Incidents” can include events that end in safe landings, but an August 2009 collision over the Hudson River between a Liberty chopper and a small private plane killed nine people, including a group of Italian tourists.

The company paid $23,576 in fines in 2010 and 2011 for violating maintenance, record-keeping and flight operations rules, according to the FAA. Three subsequent maintenance violations in 2011 and 2012 did not result in any fines.

According to his LinkedIn page, Vance had been working for the New Jersey-based company for two years, carrying tourists and photographers to see the New York City skyline.

“He’s a very good pilot,” his father, Anthony Vance, told the New York Post..

Charles Woronick, Vance’s great-uncle, said he was shocked when he heard on the news that his grandnephew was involved in the crash.

“He’s a great guy and very knowledgeable about many things and has a great personality,” Woronick said.

Woronick, who lives in Meriden, said the two spent a lot of time together when Vance was growing up in Wallingford. Vance also has a brother, sister and two young nieces, Woronick said.

Vance’s LinkedIn page also lists him as working for Northeast Helicopters in Ellington from July 2012 to March 2016 as an assistant chief flight instructor.

“After a back injury that kept him from flying for the Army, he found Northeast Helicopters and never looked back,” Northeast Helicopters said in a bio for Vance on its website. “When he is not flying you can find his very supporting fiance and him taking day trips around New England.”

Northeast Helicopters declined to comment.

Contributed photo A helicopter is hoisted by crane from the East River onto a barge, Monday, in New York. All five passengers were confirmed dead early Monday morning by an NYPD spokesman. The pilot was able to escape the Sunday night crash.