Sundance tour AS350 helo crash near Hoover Dam

MikeD

MikeD

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5 fatalities.

Five people — a pilot and four passengers — have been killed in the crash of a tour helicopter near Lake Mead, authorities said.

The helicopter was on a flight between McCarran International Airport and the Hoover Dam when it crashed about 5 p.m. into mountains between Lake Mead and Henderson, about 2.5 miles south of Lake Las Vegas, officials said.

Andrew Munoz, a spokesman for the National Park Service, said the aircraft was from Sundance Helicopters, a Las Vegas-based tour operator.

Officials called off recovery efforts at about 7 p.m. because of the danger of accessing the area in the dark. Police said they would return in the morning to recover the victims’ remains and evidence.

A Metro Police helicopter was called in to help locate the crash, but it took about an hour for officers to reach the crash site on the ground and confirm the deaths. The crash was about four miles west of the Alfred Merritt Smith Water Treatment Facility.

Officials said they could not immediately confirm the victims’ identities. Officers at the crash site said the wreckage was on fire and the helicopter was not intact, Munoz said. (continued)
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Story here:

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/dec/07/helicopter-4-people-board-crashes-near-lake-mead/
 
Sucks. :(

I'm sitting right here at D42 programming the box and had no idea. Eastbound departure so I'll do the flyboy salute when I fly over the dam area.
 
Damn. I know a former CS agent I worked with was flying there last I heard...I'll have to check up on him. That really sucks. :( RIP.
 
:sarcasm: It's only sad if they were hot.... :sarcasm:

The TRUE downside to aviation; Friends dying.... Sad.
 
Has anyone heard of any causes? I'm just curious because the article I read today said the weather was basically clear and a million. I don't want to speculate, but could this one be mechanical?
 
Mark815 said:
Has anyone heard of any causes? I'm just curious because the article I read today said the weather was basically clear and a million. I don't want to speculate, but could this one be mechanical?
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Far too early to tell. Could be mechanical, could be CFIT on it's own, CFIT with night/dusk unaided, or any number of singular or combination causal factors. Just too early, especially with no reported witnesses.
 
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