The driver of a fire engine misjudges the clearance of the main rotor of a helicopter at the landing zone and crashes with rotor (just after elapsed time 2:08).
Santiago Metropolitan Region police responded about 4:42 a.m. Sunday to a DUI crash involving a police car that was hit at the intersection of Fourth Avenue and Gran Avenida José Miguel Carrera
Three police officers were injured in the crash.
At about 5:00 a.m. fire truck was passing through the landing zone at a crash scene where a police helicopter landed with the rotor still rotating. The top of the fire engine was clipped by the main rotor of the helicopter. The helicopter immediately began to spin out of control — hitting a police car. Sparks on the pavement eventually caused ignition and an explosion, which destroyed the helicopter.
The police helicopter pilot, who had brought a paramedic to the scene, was seriously injured in the helicopter crash.
Video from an apartment balcony shows the loss of control of a helicopter that apparently can’t be shut down after the rear rotor is broken of the main body of the helicopter.
ONE YEAR AGO …
One year ago on November 29, 2013, ten people were killed after a police helicopter crashed into the Clutha Vaults pub in Glasgow, Scotland.
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