Federal investigators found no evidence of bullet strikes on a DPS helicopter that crashed last month during an active shooter situation in Flagstaff.
A preliminary report released Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board offered no cause for the double-fatal crash, but provided new evidence and ruled-out the possibility of a bullet strike.
According to the report, the helicopter had no prior maintenance issues when it was deployed from Kingman just after 8 p.m. on Feb. 4 to assist Flagstaff police with reports of an active shooter.
The report narrative said the helicopter rapidly rotated to the right as two loud bangs were heard coming from the helicopter. As it descended rapidly toward the ground, the technical flight officer said over the radio, “we’re going down.”
A video captured the helicopter’s spotlight flashing periodically, consistent with the continued aircraft rotation before impact.
NTSB investigators observed that parts of the tail and the tail rotor gearbox had deep strikes. The impact marks and punctures are consistent with main rotor blade strikes sustained when the tail separated.
Raymond Schumacher is a helicopter pilot and professor at Embry-Riddle University. He was not part of the NTSB investigation but reviewed the report and shared his observations with KJZZ.
“They did denote loud bangs over the radio call, which just after that unintelligible verbal transmission, they know two bangs, which is going to be typical, usually, of some kind of failure,” Schumacher said.
Schumacher said data from the helicopter’s central computer shows the engine overspeed and overheated shortly before the “loud bangs” were heard. The computer showed the engine temperature and fuel flow spiked before the helicopter went into reversionary mode — an automatic safety feature that engages during critical failure.
“It is fairly indicative of a pattern where you're going to have some kind of drive train separation that can could be caused from either the tailboom separating, which is most likely,” Schumacher said.
Schumacher added without having all the details, including a metallurgical test, it would be very hard to speculate on a cause until the NTSB report is complete.
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