At about 15:30 EST, a McDonnell Douglas 600N, operated by WTVJ NBC 6 as a news photography flight, crashed while maneuvering near Miami. The pilot and camera operator were killed. The flight had been airborne 27 minutes before the crash. Friends of the pilot were flying in a Robinson R-44 helicopter and the two aircraft joined up in a very loose formation. Witness accounts varied somewhat, but agreed that the accident helicopter pitched nose down then pulled to a steep nose-up attitude. The helicopter yawed to the left and began sliding backwards, at which point the aircraft pitched nose down and the tail boom separated from the helicopter.
March 3, Miami, Fla. / McDonnell Douglas 600N
At about 15:30 EST, a McDonnell Douglas 600N, operated by WTVJ NBC 6 as a news photography flight, crashed while maneuvering near Miami. The pilot and camera operator were killed. The flight had been airborne 27 minutes before the crash. Friends of the pilot were flying in a Robinson R-44 helicopter and the two aircraft joined up in a very loose formation. Witness accounts varied somewhat, but agreed that the accident helicopter pitched nose down then pulled to a steep nose-up attitude. The helicopter yawed to the left and began sliding backwards, at which point the aircraft pitched nose down and the tail boom separated from the helicopter....
Key Takeaways:
- A WTVJ NBC 6 news helicopter (McDonnell Douglas 600N) crashed near Miami, killing the pilot and camera operator.
- The accident occurred 27 minutes into the flight while the helicopter was in a very loose formation with another aircraft.
- Witnesses described the helicopter performing erratic maneuvers including pitching nose down then steeply up, yawing left, and sliding backward, before the tail boom separated.
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