Latest news with #ArthurWolk
CBS News
20-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Tail rotor of helicopter that made emergency landing in Whitemarsh Township, Pennsylvania, found nearby
Investigators in Whitemarsh Township, Pennsylvania, are just beginning the process of trying to determine what caused a medical helicopter to plummet from the sky Monday evening. The helicopter took off from Penn Presbyterian Medical Center en route to Wings Field in Blue Bell for refueling before picking up a patient at Chester County Hospital. It never made it to its destination because, according to Flightradar24, five minutes after departing, the helicopter dropped more than 1,000 feet in the span of a minute before falling off the radar. Miraculously, the pilot landed the helicopter, a Eurocopter BK 117, in the front lawn of a residential property in Whitemarsh Township. All three crew members on board survived, and no one on the ground was injured. Investigators in Whitemarsh Township are just beginning to determine what caused a medical helicopter to make an emergency landing Monday night. CBS News Philadelphia There's been a lot of speculation surrounding the helicopter's tail rotor as a possible failure that could have caused the emergency landing because neighbors told CBS News Philadelphia the tail rotor was found at a different location, a short distance from where the helicopter made that emergency landing. Longtime aviation attorney and pilot Arthur Wolk told CBS News Philadelphia that if a helicopter loses its tail rotor, aka the anti-torque rotor, which is an extremely rare occurrence, it becomes an immediate crisis for the pilot. "So basically, what you have to do is reduce the torque, try to land the helicopter as quickly as possible, and he obviously did it pretty well because it looks pretty good to me," Wolk said. FAA records show the helicopter was built in 1997. Wolk says aircraft logbooks could show whether this could have been a metal fatigue failure or a maintenance problem. "He did the right thing, which is to put it on the ground immediately," Wolk said. "No worries that there are other places to go. If there's a spot that's big enough for the helicopter to land on, whether it's somebody's front lawn or if there's a golf course below, wherever it is, you want to get it down as quickly as possible." The NTSB and FAA are investigating and the NTSB is expected to release a preliminary report in 30 days.
CBS News
05-02-2025
- General
- CBS News
Philadelphia plane crash investigation could take longer as NTSB consults Mexican authorities
It's been five days since a medical plane crashed in Northeast Philadelphia, leaving seven people dead. CBS News Philadelphia found out Jet Rescue Air Ambulance had another plane crash 15 months ago in Mexico. The Mexico-based company confirmed it had another Learjet crash in 2023 as the aircraft was making a landing. This information could be useful to the NTSB as the agency conducts its investigation in the U.S., according to a federal official. The Learjet 55 that crashed into a busy neighborhood in Northeast Philadelphia left behind death and destruction. CBS News Philadelphia learned the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) does not have direct oversight over foreign companies. Instead, they rely on the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Both the United States and Mexico are ICAO-member countries. "They rely on the membership for aircraft certification for the oversight that the foreign country does on the aircraft owner and the pilots who fly it," said Arthur Wolk, an aviation plaintiffs' attorney and pilot of more than 50 years. Wolk said the NTSB investigation should reveal a lot of crucial information. "Hopefully, this investigation will include a thorough examination of the aircraft log books, which include two log books, one for each engine and one for the airframe, will include an examination of the pilot credentials, their records, their flying records, recent flight experience and qualifications to fly the Lear-55," Wolk said. Because it's a foreign company, the Philadelphia investigation could be a bit more challenging for the NTSB. "I would expect that the maintenance records are in Spanish," Wolk said, "so they're going to have to be interpreted and translated by someone who not only is Spanish speaking but also speaks aviation in Spanish." The NTSB says there's little difference in an investigation involving foreign aircraft and pilots, but Mexican aviation authorities will contribute maintenance information and accident history. This could add 30-60 days to the investigative process. CBS News Philadelphia learned the company had another Learjet crash in 2023 as the plane was making a landing. Jet Rescue Air Ambulance said Mexican investigators have not yet issued an accident report from the 2023 crash. Meanwhile, attorney Tom Bosworth says he's representing a victim of the plane crash in Philadelphia and has started looking into the case. "Was this a pilot error or some sort of mistake made by the crew, or are we looking at a catastrophic engine failure or mechanical issue," Bosworth said. A spokesperson for Jet Rescue Air Ambulance said they adhere to FAA mandates, saying, "We conform with the manufacturer's maintenance directions and with regulatory requirements in Mexico, which are largely the same as in the USA."
CBS News
30-01-2025
- General
- CBS News
Longtime Philadelphia pilot and aviation expert says Reagan Airport crash should have been prevented
Various government agencies will be involved in the investigation to determine what led up to the midair collision Wednesday night at Reagan National Airport. Experienced pilot and aviation attorney Arthur Wolk told CBS News Philadelphia we don't have midair crashes often in this country because the whole aviation system works in a meticulous fashion, from technology to communication. He knows from experience how challenging it is to fly around Reagan National Airport simply because of how busy it is. "When you see all these conflicting lights, you don't know whether these are the landing lights from that airplane you're supposed to go behind. Are they the landing lights from another airplane? Are they not even on an airplane because in Washington, I can't begin to tell you how many billion lights that are out there that are conflicting with your instructions," Wolk said. He explained that midair crashes are so uncommon thanks in part to TCAS, which stands for Traffic Collision Avoidance System. That system continuously alerts pilots about the whereabouts of surrounding aircraft and directs them to climb or descend, however, it shuts off at 1,000 feet. Air traffic controllers take over from there and direct takeoffs and landings. In this situation, air traffic control changed the plane's runway, a common practice for a smaller jet like the one involved. However, Wolk says that change could have made the visual harder on the helicopter pilot. "When there is a runway change, the helicopter pilot, who is looking for a certain sight picture — the landing lights of an approaching aircraft, now may instead not see them anymore because the airplane has now turned perpendicular to him." The FAA, NTSB and the United States Army will all investigate this incident. "I don't believe VFR, Visual Flight Rules aircraft or helicopters ought to be flying in the same airspace around major terminals crossing over approach paths to runways. I think that's wrong and that's a recipe for disaster," Wolk told CBS News Philadelphia. The Department of Defense said it was a "fairly experienced crew" in the helicopter and they were wearing night vision goggles. Wolk said night vision goggles may have actually made it harder to see the plane in the sky because of how lighting can become distorted.
