MILFORD TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Federal authorities say the pilot of a medical helicopter says he didn't see power lines before the main rotor blades hit them and the aircraft crashed while responding to the scene of a fatal accident in Southwestern Ohio last month.
According to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board, the pilot said he asked for information about the crash site when he was about nine miles away and was told the there were high voltage wires on the south side, the Dayton Daily News reported. The three crew members had minor injuries and the helicopter was had “substantial” damage, the report said. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector said the main rotor blades were snapped in half and the gearbox and mounts fractured. Capt. Morgan Dallman of the county sheriff's office said two cruisers were damaged, one by debris and another by falling power lines, the Dayton Daily News reported. No firefighters or officers were injured.