Bolt was missing on police helicopter that crashed in South Carolina, report says
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Digital Subscription
One year of digital access for only $205*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/08/2023 (1124 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A police helicopter that crashed at a South Carolina airport was missing a bolt that should have been removed and reinstalled during maintenance about six weeks earlier, federal officials said in a report.
A second bolt on the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office helicopter also was loose and the pilot, who survived, told investigators he felt like his foot controls to move the aircraft’s tail rotors weren’t working, according to the preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.
“It felt as if the pedals were not attached,” the pilot said.
The tail rotor is key to keeping the helicopter stable and steering it. About 35 minutes into the Aug. 1 flight from Sumter to Charleston, the pilot reported the helicopter wanted to keep pulling to the right, according to the report.
The pilot declared an emergency and tried to land at the Charleston International Airport. Surveillance video from the airport showed as the helicopter hovered about 20 feet (6 meters) from the ground, it pulled right, rose, then plunged into the ground
The helicopter had been to a shop in Sumter, which was not named in the report, twice for maintenance in the past six weeks.
On June 28, the missing bolt and the bolt that was loose because a pin was missing were both supposed to be removed and reinstalled, the report said.
The helicopter flew for about 15 hours before the pilot took it back to Sumter for more maintenance on the day of the crash.
The pilot, Charleston County sheriff’s Lt. Scott Martray, has been with the agency since 2006 and is the chief pilot for the sheriff’s office. He was released from the hospital a day after the crash.