LAPLACE, La. (AP) — A fatal, fiery helicopter crash last month on Interstate 10 in Louisiana occurred after the helicopter hit a cable above a bridge during foggy weather, knocking off its rotor, the National Transportation Safety Board said.
The pilot died when the Bell 407 helicopter crashed and burned on the Bonnet Carré Spillway bridge about 12:30 p.m. on Dec. 14 near LaPlace. He was not named in the NTSB report on Wednesday, but local media reported in December that he was identified as Joshua Hawley, 42. of Galvez.
The federal agency’s preliminary report said the helicopter hit a guy wire about 130 feet (40 meters) above the bridge, and its main rotor blades, mast, and transmission came off. They were found in Lake Pontchartrain.
Hawley had flown out of Gonzales. He flew along the highway toward New Orleans, generally flying 75 to 175 feet (23 to 53 meters) above the ground, the NTSB said. At one point he descended to 50 feet (15 meters) above I-10.
Video from several commercial vehicles' dash cameras showed the helicopter coming apart, the report said. Officials told local media that the helicopter clipped power lines; the NTSB said video of such impact has not been found.
After it hit the ground, fire “consumed most of the fuselage,” the report said.
A responding Coast Guard helicopter found that “low level fog allowed the stanchions of the power lines to be barely visible from the east. However, from the west, the fog layer was above the power lines,” according to the report.
All the helicopter's major components were found and taken to a secure facility for further examination, the report said.
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