A news helicopter for KOMO-TV has crashed outside its station near the Seattle Space Needle, killing two people and injuring one.
The station headquartered at Fisher Plaza says the aircraft was apparently taking off a rooftop helipad Tuesday morning when it possibly hit the side of the building and went down, hitting several vehicles on Broad Street.
The chopper and cars exploded in flames and casualties were reported.
According to the Seattle Fire Department, the two people killed in the crash were inside the aircraft. The victims' names have not been released at this time.
A 37-year-old man who was in one of the vehicles struck by the plummeting helicopter was rushed to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition with burns to 50 per cent of his body, KOMO News reported. The victim was able to crawl out of his burning vehicle and was seen running with one of his sleeves on fire.
Hospital spokeswoman Susan Gregg said the facility had received no other victims from the crash.
People in the area reported seeing a huge cloud of smoke as firefighters and police responded. Alex McBurney, a producer at KIRO-TV in Seattle, shared a video showing the fiery aftermath of the tragedy on YouTube.
Eyewitness Chris McColgan, 26, told the Seattle Times the helicopter engine made a 'deep noise,' followed by a boom seconds later.
Another witness, Brian Cruz, told the station that it appeared like the aircraft became tangled in some cables and took a nosedive down to the street below, leaking fuel as it plummeted to the ground.
Only the tail of the helicopter could be identified among the burned metal on the street next to the Seattle Center. Also among the wreckage were three burned-out cars.
Kristopher Reynolds, a contractor working nearby, saw the crash. He said the helicopter lifted about 5 feet and looked like it was about to clear the building when it tilted. It looked like it was trying to correct itself and then took a dive downward.
‘Next thing I know, it went into a ball of flames,’ he said.
When firefighters arrived, they found the helicopter, two cars and a pickup truck on fire, along with a huge cloud of black smoke, fire department spokesman Kyle Moore said.
‘Not only were the cars on fire, the fuel running down the street was on fire,’ he told reporters at the scene.
Firefighters stopped the burning fuel from entering the sewer.
The two dead at the scene remained in the copter wreckage until investigators from the FAA and NTSB arrived, Moore said.
A woman from one of the burned cars went to a police station and talked to officers. The man from the pickup truck walked off. Fire investigators want to talk to him, Moore said.
An hour after the crash, firefighters had put out the fire and were cleaning up spilled fuel, which left a strong smell in the area.
According to news reports, the deadly crash took place at around 7.30am local time on Broad Street, just 90 feet from the famed Space Needle.
Three cars caught fire after being struck for the downed chopper, sending huge plumes of smoke and flames into the air. It took firefighters about 30 minutes to extinguish the flames.
KOMO-TV revealed on Twitter that officials from the National Transportation Safety Board are expected to arrive on the scene shortly to investigate the deadly crash.
'KOMO chopper crash appears to have taken lives of our colleagues on board,' Keith Eldridge, a reporter and anchor with the station, tweeted Tuesday morning.
The Seattle Fire Department stated that there is no indication that it was an act terrorism.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, there were three people on board the helicopter, which is owned by KOMO-TV and was being used in a joint partnership with KING 5.
KGW reported that the helicopter was managed by Helicopter’s Inc, a company that designs, builds and leases out news choppers to TV and radio stations in Washington state.
In addition to being near the city's iconic Space Needle in Seattle Center, the crash site is by the EMP Museum, the music and culture museum founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.
Seattle Center is popular with tourists and locals, and is the site of many music and cultural festivals and sporting activities.
Other cities have experienced helicopter crashes as TV stations rush to cover the news from above major cities.
Two news helicopters collided in midair in Phoenix in 2007 as the aircraft covered a police chase, sending fiery wreckage plummeting onto a park. Four people in the helicopters were killed.
The crash prompted changes at the stations in how they operated their helicopter crews.
The station headquartered at Fisher Plaza says the aircraft was apparently taking off a rooftop helipad Tuesday morning when it possibly hit the side of the building and went down, hitting several vehicles on Broad Street.
The chopper and cars exploded in flames and casualties were reported.
According to the Seattle Fire Department, the two people killed in the crash were inside the aircraft. The victims' names have not been released at this time.
A 37-year-old man who was in one of the vehicles struck by the plummeting helicopter was rushed to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition with burns to 50 per cent of his body, KOMO News reported. The victim was able to crawl out of his burning vehicle and was seen running with one of his sleeves on fire.
Hospital spokeswoman Susan Gregg said the facility had received no other victims from the crash.
People in the area reported seeing a huge cloud of smoke as firefighters and police responded. Alex McBurney, a producer at KIRO-TV in Seattle, shared a video showing the fiery aftermath of the tragedy on YouTube.
Eyewitness Chris McColgan, 26, told the Seattle Times the helicopter engine made a 'deep noise,' followed by a boom seconds later.
Another witness, Brian Cruz, told the station that it appeared like the aircraft became tangled in some cables and took a nosedive down to the street below, leaking fuel as it plummeted to the ground.
Only the tail of the helicopter could be identified among the burned metal on the street next to the Seattle Center. Also among the wreckage were three burned-out cars.
Kristopher Reynolds, a contractor working nearby, saw the crash. He said the helicopter lifted about 5 feet and looked like it was about to clear the building when it tilted. It looked like it was trying to correct itself and then took a dive downward.
‘Next thing I know, it went into a ball of flames,’ he said.
When firefighters arrived, they found the helicopter, two cars and a pickup truck on fire, along with a huge cloud of black smoke, fire department spokesman Kyle Moore said.
‘Not only were the cars on fire, the fuel running down the street was on fire,’ he told reporters at the scene.
Firefighters stopped the burning fuel from entering the sewer.
The two dead at the scene remained in the copter wreckage until investigators from the FAA and NTSB arrived, Moore said.
A woman from one of the burned cars went to a police station and talked to officers. The man from the pickup truck walked off. Fire investigators want to talk to him, Moore said.
An hour after the crash, firefighters had put out the fire and were cleaning up spilled fuel, which left a strong smell in the area.
According to news reports, the deadly crash took place at around 7.30am local time on Broad Street, just 90 feet from the famed Space Needle.
Three cars caught fire after being struck for the downed chopper, sending huge plumes of smoke and flames into the air. It took firefighters about 30 minutes to extinguish the flames.
KOMO-TV revealed on Twitter that officials from the National Transportation Safety Board are expected to arrive on the scene shortly to investigate the deadly crash.
'KOMO chopper crash appears to have taken lives of our colleagues on board,' Keith Eldridge, a reporter and anchor with the station, tweeted Tuesday morning.
The Seattle Fire Department stated that there is no indication that it was an act terrorism.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, there were three people on board the helicopter, which is owned by KOMO-TV and was being used in a joint partnership with KING 5.
KGW reported that the helicopter was managed by Helicopter’s Inc, a company that designs, builds and leases out news choppers to TV and radio stations in Washington state.
In addition to being near the city's iconic Space Needle in Seattle Center, the crash site is by the EMP Museum, the music and culture museum founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.
Seattle Center is popular with tourists and locals, and is the site of many music and cultural festivals and sporting activities.
Other cities have experienced helicopter crashes as TV stations rush to cover the news from above major cities.
Two news helicopters collided in midair in Phoenix in 2007 as the aircraft covered a police chase, sending fiery wreckage plummeting onto a park. Four people in the helicopters were killed.
The crash prompted changes at the stations in how they operated their helicopter crews.
Source : SkyNews, DailyMail , KOMO
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