A helicopter that was used in the Hollywood blockbuster “Die Hard” has crashed. As the “Daily Mail” reports, all six occupants died. Apparently, the accident happened at an event for historic aircraft in the US state of West Virginia.
It is still unclear how the crash happened. The weather probably didn’t play a role, they said. The dispatcher reported that the plane was on fire when rescue workers arrived. He said he has “never experienced a crash of this magnitude” in the 35 years he has served with Logan County Emergency Management.
Pilot without flying experience?
The helicopter was not only used in the film “Die Hard”, but also in numerous series, such as “Baywatch”. The event’s website said that people with no flying experience could pilot a helicopter, tail number N98F, for $250 per seat. The officer in charge confirmed that the crashed helicopter was tail number N98F. The helicopter had previously been used for tourist flights.
The plane that crashed was a Bell UH-1B helicopter, commonly known as the “Huey.” The model was manufactured in 1962 and used in the Vietnam War.
At least six deceased leaves helicopter accident in the US
The causes of the accident are still unknown and will be investigated by the US National Transportation Safety Board.
At least six people were reported dead after a helicopter crashed on Wednesday in the US state of West Virginia, local media reported.
The aircraft, a Bell UH-1B, crashed without knowing the causes yet, at 5:00 p.m. (local time) near Route 17 in a mountainous area of Logan County, killing all six passengers on board.
By the way, the US Federal Aviation Administration announced that the National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation that will begin to find out the origins of the accident.
The deputy director of the Logan County Office of Emergency Management, Sonya Porter, said for her part that the aircraft crashed in the vicinity of a rural road, without causing other damage, but that it will be blocked for at least 24 hours.
Meanwhile, the governor of the state, Jim Justice, expressed on his Twitter account that: “Cathy and I are praying for the families of those who died in this tragic helicopter accident.”
About which Bobbi Childs, a resident a kilometer and a half from the scene of the incident, said that she went to the scene when she saw that the helicopter lost control and called 911; while he detailed that after it caught fire, he saw that at least one person remained trapped.
“I ran as fast as I could, went under the security barrier and got into the helicopter, but the fire was so hot, so intense, and that guy couldn’t get out of there,” the witness said.
The N-98F helicopter is owned by Marpat Aviation, which was holding an annual gathering of “Huey” helicopters this week, as the aircraft are known by a nickname. Its website said that people could make a reservation to fly the helicopter without being a pilot.
