Former Gulf War fighter pilot and former NBC6 reporter Willard Shepard shares his view on what it could have been like inside the cabin of helicopter during the crash.
A BSO helicopter crash that left two people dead has many wondering what possibly went wrong Monday morning.
According to Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony, a fire broke out shortly after takeoff -- as the three-person crew flew to an emergency scene in North Lauderdale.
Watch NBC6 free wherever you are
>
Federal Aviation Administration officials said the helicopter went down around 8:45 a.m. in the area of North Dixie Highway and Atlantic Boulevard, southwest of the Pompano Beach Airpark and crashed into a one-story multi-unit apartment building.
Sheriff Tony explained during a Monday afternoon press conference -- that the firefighter on board who lost his life has been identified as 50-year-old Captain Terryson Jackson, who reportedly became trapped after the crash.
Get local news you need to know to start your day with NBC 6's News Headlines newsletter.
>
The two others on board were able to crawl out, while a woman inside the home at the time, was also killed, the Sheriff continued.
Stunning video of the crash has left several lingering questions -- including what that fiery spiral tells us about the ongoing investigation by the NTSB.
Local
Former Air Force fighter pilot and aviation attorney Willard Shepard sat down with NBC6 to discuss the tragic crash.
Shepard tells NBC6 that his initial thoughts when watching the video of the chopper spiraling -- pointed to power and structural factors.
He emphasized that he believes there was a structural control issue, as these pilots with the BSO Aviation Unit are highly trained -- to especially land in difficult situations.
According to the Broward Sheriff's website, its Aviation Unit "has four helicopters each outfitted with: a FLIR system, night vision capabilities, 30 million candlepower night sun, moving map systems and Lojack. The Unit is staffed with one sergeant pilot and seven deputy line pilots, 18 flight medics and three in house mechanics. The pilots are required to have Commercial/Instrument Rotorcraft Helicopter rating."
"On average, they conduct 2,500 missions a year with approximately 2,000 flight hours," the profile continued. "Over the past ten years, the Unit assisted on 33,397 DLE missions and 2,502 medevacs."
Shepard noted that the presence of black smoke and way in which the chopper went down -- could point to some sort of engine issue, but that the NTSB has the ultimate authority to determine exactly what happened.
He added, the fact that the helicopter ended up in a building -- shows how catastrophic whatever transpired was, as pilots are trained to complete an auto-rotation when choppers lose power.
In these situations, pilots are reportedly trained to find some sort of street or parking lot -- to prevent any further tragedy, Shepard continued -- again, pointing to a traumatic event that must have occurred quickly.
Back in 2021 -- the BSO touted its EC 135 Eurocopter helicopters, one of which went down Monday morning.
The news release mentioned that these special helicopters "can provide transport for all Broward County municipalities and unincorporated areas. The unit is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week with two flight paramedics and an EMT certified trained pilot."
The NTSB is leading the investigation into the cause of the crash. Tony said he had grounded BSO’s aircraft fleet until the helicopters are re-inspected out of an abundance of caution.
