Helicopter 'Sounded a Little Funny' Before Crashing Into Florida Home
Three people died in the crash, officials said, including husband-wife pilots.
— -- Federal regulators are investigating what caused a helicopter to crash into an Orlando, Florida, home, killing three people on board.
The crash happened after 2 p.m. Sunday in an upscale neighborhood, shortly after the pilot told controllers that he needed to turn around.
No one on the ground was hurt, authorities said. Bruce Teitelbaum and his wife, Marsha Kahn, both pilots who posted Facebook photos showing their love of flying, were killed along with friend Harry Anderson. An air-safety investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board said the trio may have been "doing a little sightseeing of downtown" before returning to the airport.
The burned wreck of the small helicopter was hauled away today. No one was believed to be in the guest house at the time of the crash, which ignited a fire that was quickly brought under control. Pieces of the Robinson helicopter's rotor blades were flung three houses away.
Neighbor Mike Sills said he heard the helicopter having problems.
“It sounded a little funny, you know, sounded like it wasn’t really running right. ... And then all of a sudden, I hear a big explosion,” Sills said. “I went in the back of the house with another guy and we yelled inside, hoping somebody might be alive.”
The Federal Aviation Administration and the NTSB are investigating the crash.
Officials said it may take a year to determine the cause of the crash.