Matt Molnar
2009-02-17, 01:22 PM
WSJ:
Bird Strike Is New Suspect in Helicopter Crash (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123473768054991121.html)
By ANDY PASZTOR
Federal investigators increasingly suspect that a collision with a bird led to the crash last month of a widely used Sikorsky helicopter model that killed eight people in the Gulf of Mexico, according to industry officials and safety experts.
The Jan. 4 crash of the Sikorsky S-76C chopper, manufactured by a unit of United Technologies Corp., initially had stumped crash investigators, who had previously ruled out engine, transmission, electrical or hydraulic failures. The National Transportation Safety Board, which is heading the probe, also said the chopper didn't run out of fuel, hit some other aircraft or suffer a problem with its rotors. Now, investigators think a bird strike destroyed the windshield, which somehow resulted in nearly turning off the engines. [Full Article (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123473768054991121.html)]
Bird Strike Is New Suspect in Helicopter Crash (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123473768054991121.html)
By ANDY PASZTOR
Federal investigators increasingly suspect that a collision with a bird led to the crash last month of a widely used Sikorsky helicopter model that killed eight people in the Gulf of Mexico, according to industry officials and safety experts.
The Jan. 4 crash of the Sikorsky S-76C chopper, manufactured by a unit of United Technologies Corp., initially had stumped crash investigators, who had previously ruled out engine, transmission, electrical or hydraulic failures. The National Transportation Safety Board, which is heading the probe, also said the chopper didn't run out of fuel, hit some other aircraft or suffer a problem with its rotors. Now, investigators think a bird strike destroyed the windshield, which somehow resulted in nearly turning off the engines. [Full Article (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123473768054991121.html)]