UPPER DARBY — Members of the National Transportation Safety Board spent Wednesday examining the wreckage of the EC 135 medivac helicopter to determine what caused it to crash on the doorstep of a church Tuesday as it was transporting a 2-month-old infant from western Maryland to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Delaware County hazardous material teams spent the morning securing fuel and fluid hazards on the helicopter as the NTSB worked checking the positioning of switches in the cockpit and instrument readings .
NTSB investigator Brian Rayner said the pilot of the helicopter was seriously injured and is still in the hospital while the two other crew members were uninjured. Officials had no other information on the child.
“I had a very brief meeting with the pilot today. His medical condition precludes him from speaking with us anytime in the immediate future,” Rayner said. “His prognosis is good but he is very uncomfortable.
“Preliminary radar data shows the helicopter in just a laser straight course line, steady airspeed and altitude until it reached this local area. We’re collecting witness and video evidence that describes the helicopter maneuvering erratically, for lack of a better term, and then descending here to the point you see behind me,” said Rayner, an NTSB senior air safety investigator.
Rayner said the helicopter was in good condition considering the the crash and his team had already gathered a large amount of information such as weather conditions and radio transmissions.
Hazmat crews spent the day removing as much remaining fuel as they could from the craft.
Shortly after 5 p.m. Wednesday crews carefully lifted the helicopter onto a trailer to be taken to a facility in Delaware for further investigation.
The aircraft groaned as it was lifted from in front of Drexel Hill United Methodist Church at 600 Burmont Road. The craft was in two pieces, the main fuselage and a second tail section, as it was placed onto the flatbed. One of the propellers was still attached with pieces of bushes hanging from it.
With a large star of life on the side of the fuselage, medical equipment could be seen inside through the broken tail of the aircraft.
Crews used a fork loader truck to position it on the flatbed and tie it down.
The Eurocopter EC-135 was built in 2006 and officials said they will check the service and maintenance records of the company, Air Methods Corp. under the LifeNet program.
Rayner said at this point the investigation is a fact-gathering assignment with no conclusions on a cause. He said they have been interviewing witnesses and working with Upper Darby police on the accident and estimated the investigation would take one year to complete.
As investigators look at the helicopter they will remove a number of instruments which may need to be shipped to experts across the country or possibly in Europe which the manufacturer has proprietary control over and can better investigate.
The dual motor aircraft developed trouble over Drexel Hill before coming down just before 1 p.m. in what officials called a miracle that the four occupants were able to safely escape.
Burmont Road was closed off as the investigation continued.
The original calls to 911 were near Collenbrook Avenue near Township Line Road, a mile away from where the craft finally hit the ground on Burmont Road.
Neighbors and residents were amazed everyone was able to safely evacuate. A number of photos and videos on social media showed passersby helping the crew away from the craft and a crewmember lifting the 2-month-old child safely from the downed airship.
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Pilot remains in serious condition after crash as helicopter is removed in Drexel Hill - The Reporter
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