NTSB confident cause of KOMO helicopter crash will be found

A preliminary review of surveillance video does not show the ill-fated takeoff and crash of the KOMO TV helicopter Tuesday, the National Transportation Safety Board reported Wednesday.

“Seattle PD is going through the records for us, reviewing the video. Tomorrow morning we plan on meeting with them and reviewing the footage,” said Dennis Hogenson, NTSB Deputy Regional Chief, at a briefing Wednesday.

Hogenson told reporters a team that includes NTSB investigators and experts from the helicopter manufacturer, engine maker and owner are all working together to determine what caused the helicopter to crash, killing pilot Gary Pfitzner and photographer Bill Strothman Tuesday morning.

“I’m confident we are going to figure this out,” Hogenson said.

The team is currently working on initially laying out all of the pieces at a hangar in Auburn from the badly burned helicopter, which plunged at least six stories moments after taking off from the roof of Fisher Plaza across the street from Seattle Center. It is expected to take at least three days.

“They plan on separating the engine from the wreckage later this afternoon and examining specifically the engine and its subcomponents,” he said.

Completely reconstructing the helicopter will be impossible, since it was built with composite materials that burned in the fire.

Hogenson reiterated investigators would focus on the engine, the airframe, the pilot and the surrounding environment.

“Right now there are a lot of scenarios and we are looking at all of those,” he said.

The pilot had spoken with the operator of a nearby construction crane via radio prior to landing for refueling about 30 minutes before the crash, but Hogenson said that is common and there were no reports of anything unusual.

Investigators continue to comb through witness statements. Many reported hearing a strange sound prior to the crash that might indicate a problem with the helicopter. But Hogenson said it was way to soon to make any determination about the sound.

“I don’t know yet if it was an airframe noise, if it was an engine noise, it may have been a noise from something external to the helicopter. We just don’t know yet.”

Hogenson said investigators will also return to the helipad atop Fisher Plaza Thursday to search for any additional clues. An initial inspection following the crash failed to yield any helpful information about the cause of the crash.

The NTSB doesn’t know yet when the pilot last flew prior to the crash, but records show Pfitzner had logged 7700 hours of flight total and 900 hours on the same type of chopper that was involved in crash. The helicopter last underwent a significant maintenance inspection in January, and there were no outstanding maintenance items reported.