County fair helicopter crash causes no serious injuries
February 28, 2011, 12:29 pm
The pilot of a small helicopter managed to get the vehicle back onto the ground without any significant injuries, in an incident that experts agree could have been a lot worse.
Brian Hall said that the fuel pressure light went out in his small, three-seat helicopter while about 200 feet above the St. Lucie County fairgrounds, and the engine itself sputtered out and died shortly thereafter.
While many pilots would have panicked at this point, Hall coolly assessed the situation, and managed to get the auto-rotating chopper onto an abandoned field at the southwest corner of the fairgrounds, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Major Mike Monahan, of the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office, told the newspaper Hall had done well.
"Depending on how high they are in the air and their speed, they can put a helicopter down on the ground. I would say this pilot's done a good job of putting it on the ground," he said.
The chopper lost its tail in the incident, meaning that the repair costs may be covered by pilot insurance, experts say.
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