Air Disaster

A police helicopter crashed in Arizona last month, killing two officers, and it looks like a mechanical issue might be the culprit. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a report saying there’s no evidence the chopper was hit by gunfire during a pursuit of an active shooter.

The helicopter, a Bell 407, was circling above the scene when it suddenly started spinning out of control. The pilot, Robert Skankey, and his partner, Hunter Bennett, didn’t stand a chance. Data from the chopper’s engine control unit showed the main rotor speed dropped from 97% to 0% in under a second – that’s not supposed to happen.

The Crash

As the helicopter plummeted towards the ground, Bennett radioed ‘We’re going down’. It was all over in seconds. The NTSB found ‘angular cuts’ on the tail rotor driveshaft and deep grooves with blue paint transfer, which suggests the main rotor blade made contact with it. Not good.

The suspect they were chasing, 50-year-old Terrell Storey, is facing dozens of charges, including two counts of first-degree murder. Skankey and Bennett were just doing their jobs, and it’s a tragedy they won’t be going home to their families.