At about 14:28 EST, a Schweizer 269C helicopter was destroyed during a forced landing, killing the commercial pilot/police officer and seriously injuring the aerial observer. The helicopter was operated by the Baltimore Police Department Helicopter Unit and was performing an official police mission at the time of the accident. Witnesses said the rotor was spinning slowly as the helicopter descended and reported hearing a loud pop and seeing smoke trailing from the helicopter. A 2-inch hole was found on the bottom of the engine casing near the number 2 cylinder and a 4-inch hole was found on the top of the casing for the same cylinder. The engine, a HIO-360-D1A, manufactured by Textron Lycoming on February 13, 1998, had accumulated about 45 hours of flight time since new.
Nov. 4, Baltimore, Md. / Schweizer 269C
At about 14:28 EST, a Schweizer 269C helicopter was destroyed during a forced landing, killing the commercial pilot/police officer and seriously injuring the aerial observer. The helicopter was operated by the Baltimore Police Department Helicopter Unit and was performing an official police mission at the time of the accident. Witnesses said the rotor was spinning slowly as the helicopter descended and reported hearing a loud pop and seeing smoke trailing from the helicopter. A 2-inch hole was found on the bottom of the engine casing near the number 2 cylinder and a 4-inch hole was found on the top of the casing for the same cylinder. The engine, a HIO-360-D1A, manufactured by Textron Lycomi...
Key Takeaways:
- A Baltimore Police Department helicopter crashed during a forced landing, killing the pilot and seriously injuring the aerial observer.
- Witnesses observed the rotor spinning slowly, heard a loud pop, and saw smoke trailing as the helicopter descended.
- Post-crash inspection revealed significant holes in the engine casing near the number 2 cylinder, indicating a catastrophic engine failure.
- The Textron Lycoming engine, manufactured in 1998, had accumulated only 45 hours of flight time since new.
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