Sightseeing Chopper Drops From West Palm Sky; All Survive
WEST PALM BEACH (CBSMiami) - A sightseeing trip aboard a small helicopter over the skies of West Palm Beach turned into an adventure nobody expected when the craft suddenly dropped from the sky, smashing into a house and a car before hitting the ground. Amazingly, everyone aboard walked away.
The crash happened just after 4 p.m. Saturday, near Floral Avenue and 33rd Street in West Palm Beach.
Firefighters responding to the crash told CBS affiliate WPEC the craft was apparently flying low, at about 700 feet, when the pilot lost power and prepared for a crash landing.
The plane clipped a house and landed squarely on a car before stopping. The pilot and a passenger were able to get out of the mostly-intact helicopter without problems, but were taken to St. Mary's Medical Center for a precautionary examination.
Police said nobody on the ground was hurt, but homeowner Nedra Obradovich was inside, and said the crash came as a shock.
"I was working on my computer when the house started shaking, and then it sounded like an earthquake when it hit," she told WPEC.
The accident is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration.
