GIRL, 3 FIREMEN KILLED.Byline: David R. Baker and Yvette Cabrera Daily News Staff Writers A rescue helicopter rushing an 11-year-old car crash victim to the hospital lost its tail rotor Noun 1. tail rotor - rotor consisting of a rotating airfoil on the tail of a single-rotor helicopter; keeps the helicopter from spinning in the direction opposite to the rotation of the main rotor anti-torque rotor and crashed near Griffith Park Griffith Park is a large public park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains. It is situated in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park covers 4,210 acres (17 km²) of land, making it one of the largest urban parks in North America. on Monday, killing the girl and three Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. firefighters. It was the worst air disaster in Los Angeles Fire Department The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), also known as the Los Angeles City Fire Department to distinguish it from the Los Angeles County Fire Department. It is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Los Angeles. history and the second tragedy to hit the department in two weeks - after 14 years without a death in the line of duty In the Line of Duty may refer to:
``The tragedy, the loss of life, is unbelievable,'' Fire Commissioner Elizabeth Lowe said after she toured the scene. ``Everybody is putting one foot in front of the other, but in an aura of disbelief and huge sadness.'' Two other rescue personnel were injured when the helicopter plowed into a wooded area along West Red Oak Drive in the Los Feliz area at 7:43 a.m. Both were expected to survive. As horrific as the crash was, it could have been worse, officials said. Officials and witnesses said the tail rotor fell off, and then the pilot - Steven Robinson, 32, of Agoura - managed to keep the helicopter airborne for about one-half mile and steer it clear of homes on Fern Dell Drive before the craft, shearing trees, crashed in a plume of smoke. The department grounded its fleet of helicopters while federal officials launched an investigation into the cause of the crash. The catastrophe shook city firefighters already grieving for a captain, Joseph Dupee, killed in a building fire two weeks ago. Killed in the crash were: Norma Vides, 11, of Sun Valley. She had been seriously injured in a car crash in Shadow Hills and was being flown to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles at the time of the crash. Michael Butler
Michael Butler is a musician and podcaster from San Francisco, California, United States. , 33, a 13-year veteran of the department and resident of Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, . He leaves behind a wife who is four months pregnant. Michael McComb, 48, of Crestline. He had spent 25 years with the department. Eric Reiner, 33, of Carson. He is survived by a wife, two daughters and two sons. Robinson, the pilot, and firefighter Dennis J. Silgen, 52, of Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. , suffered serious injuries and were hospitalized. Hero pilot At a press conference at the crash site, Mayor Richard Riordan Richard J. Riordan (born May 1, 1930) is a Republican politician from California, U.S. who served as the California Secretary of Education from 2003–2005 and as Mayor of Los Angeles from 1993–2001. Riordan ran for Governor of California unsuccessfully in 2002. expressed sympathy for the families of those who died. ``I ask all Angelenos to say a prayer for those who died and for those who were injured,'' he said. City officials praised Robinson for keeping the plummeting helicopter away from homes. ``It was just incredible he was able to engineer it out of the way,'' said City Councilman Richard Alatorre Richard Alatorre is a politician, and a member of the Democratic Party. Alatorre has served as a member of the Los Angeles City Council. He was the first Latino to serve on the council in 23 years. . In Sacramento, Gov. Pete Wilson For others named Pete Wilson, see . Peter Barton Wilson (born August 23, 1933) is an American Republican politician from California. Wilson served as the thirty-sixth Governor of California (1991–1999), the culmination of more than three decades in the public arena that said he had ordered the flags at the Capitol and at state buildings in Los Angeles County to be flown at half-staff when the crash victims are buried. ``These heroic individuals, on their mission of mercy, made the ultimate sacrifice as they carried out their duties in transporting a young girl injured in a traffic accident,'' Wilson said. The helicopter crash was the last in a series of events starting about an hour earlier in Shadow Hills, where the child was injured in a multiple-vehicle collision A multi-vehicle collision (colloquially known as a pile-up) is a road traffic accident involving many vehicles. Generally occurring on highways, they are one of the deadliest form of traffic accidents. . A Chevrolet Blazer, whose driver was blinded by the low morning sun, hit a trash truck on Sunland Boulevard, police said. Then, when the crew in another refuse truck stopped to help, a blue Toyota Corolla carrying Norma and five or six other people rounded the same corner. The Corolla corolla: see petal. hit the second truck from behind. Police said at least six people were injured. Norma, a student at Mount Gleason Middle School, appeared to be bleeding internally, fire officials said. Fearing her life was at stake, paramedics called for a helicopter. Ten minutes after picking up Norma, the helicopter was flying south when, for unknown reasons, a tail rotor broke off. The rotor helps control a helicopter's lateral motion. Fire Department officials said Robinson, an experienced pilot with thousands of hours of training, radioed for help and shut off the fuel line. Neighborhood residents described hearing an engine losing power. ``It sounded like the pilot was having difficulty,'' said Janet La Pietra, who had a direct view of the crash site from her home on Fern Dell Drive. ``It was very low. . . . It was making a stuttering stuttering or stammering, speech disorder marked by hesitation and inability to enunciate consonants without spasmodic repetition. Known technically as dysphemia, it has sometimes been attributed to an underlying personality disorder. sound . . . like a putt-putt, putt.'' The helicopter smashed into a chain-link fence in a heavily wooded area along West Red Oak Drive, shaking homes and shooting a plume of gray smoke into the air. Chunks of wood, clipped from nearby trees by the helicopter's blades, fell into the street. ``(The helicopter) kind of inverted inverted reverse in position, direction or order. inverted L block a pattern of local filtration anesthesia commonly used in laparotomy in the ox. , tilted to the side, and then it went down straight through the trees,'' said Orlando Beard, a Griffith Park maintenance worker, who said he was about 200 yards away when the crash happened. ``It's the scariest thing I've ever seen.'' Beard said he and several co-workers grabbed fire extinguishers from a park ranger truck and put out flames in the wreckage. The park workers then tried to open one of the helicopter's doors, but couldn't. Three victims already were dead by the time rescuers arrived. A fourth died at the scene. Federal investigation By 11 a.m., representatives from the National Transportation Safety Board arrived at Griffith Park to head the investigation into the crash. The Federal Aviation Administration Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), component of the U.S. Department of Transportation that sets standards for the air-worthiness of all civilian aircraft, inspects and licenses them, and regulates civilian and military air traffic through its air traffic control , the Los Angeles Fire Department and the Los Angeles Police Department "LAPD" and "L.A.P.D." redirect here. For other uses, see LAPD (disambiguation).  This article or section is written like an . will join in the investigation. Davis Parsons, deputy chief of the Fire Department's Bureau of Emergency Medical Services An Emergency medical service (abbreviated to initialism "EMS" in many countries) is a service providing out-of-hospital acute care and transport to definitive care, to patients with illnesses and injuries which the patient believes constitutes a medical emergency. , said the cause was still under investigation. ``Any speculation as to the cause of the crash at this point is foolish and unwarranted,'' Parsons said. The helicopter was built in 1976 by Bell Helicopter Textron and can be used for airlifting patients, dropping water on brush fires or transporting fire crews. Despite its age, Parsons said, the helicopter had low flight mileage. ``It's a ship that doesn't have as many hours on it, say, as . . . the other ships of that vintage.'' FATAL CRASH A Los Angeles Fire Department medical helicopter crashed, killing four and injuring two others. Bell 205 Aircraft year: 1976 N-number: N90230 Cruising speed: 150 mph 6:41 a.m.: In Sun Valley, a white blazer rear-ends a trash truck pulled over to the side. A second trash truck, coming to its aid was then rear-ended by the Anaya family's blue Toyota Corolla, injuring 11-year-old Norma Vides, who was then airlifted by paramedics to Children's Hospital. 7:45 a.m.:The Los Angeles city Fire Department's air ambulence slammed into a heavily wooded area in Griffith Park killing four people including the 11-year-old, two paramedics and a Heli-Tac firefighter. The helicopter's pilot and another Heli-Tac firefighter survived with injuries. Park maintenance workers extinguish a small fire on the aircraft before rescuers arrive. SOURCE: Los Angeles Fire Department Daily News Staff Writers Sherry Joe Crosby, Paul Hefner, Jennifer Knight, Patrick McGreevy, Deborah Sullivan and Eric Wahlgren contributed to this story. CAPTION(S): 3 Photos, Box, 3 Maps Photo: (1--Color) A wrecked helicopter in which four people died lies twisted in a wooded area along West Red Oak Drive. (2--Color) NORMA VIDES (3) Police search a car in which a 11-year-old girl was injured Monday. She later died helicopter crash. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News Box: FATAL CRASH (See Text) Map: (1) Accident involving Anaya family's car - Sun Valley (2) Helicopter crashes, killing 4 - Los Feliz (3) Sun Valley - Los Feliz Gregg Miller/Daily News |
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