(Newswire.net — March 23, 2015) — At least one person is presumed killed after a helicopter crashed into a home in Orlando, Florida, Sunday afternoon. The crash started a fire and the smoke was visible throughout the entire area, Reuters reported.
According to Orlando fire department officials, the person who was in the helicopter was presumably killed on impact.
It is not yet officially confirmed, however, the officials presume the person that died in the crash was piloting the helicopter, since rescue teams didn’t find anyone else among debris.
According to officials, the estimated time of the crash was around 2:15 pm.
According to Orlando Assistant Fire Chief Hezedean Smith, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators were combing through the crash site to try to determine what caused the crash.
Smith said the fire was “extinguished within minutes,” and the damage to the house was localized to the second-floor garage apartment, which suffered “significant damage.” One man, who was luckily in another part of the house when the accident happened, wasn’t injured.
The force of the impact was so strong that helicopter parts and pieces of metal were scattered across the Orlando’s College Park neighborhood, not far from downtown, Smith told Reuters.
The Orlando Sentinel reported that neighbors said the sound of the crash carried for blocks.
“It blew up, and part of the rotor landed in a neighbor’s backyard and knocked down a fence, three houses away,” Ben Brown told the newspaper.
The type of helicopter and its route is still unknown.
Engine failure could not result in an eminent crash, it is possible to maneuver a helicopter landing even with engines cut off using autorotation, aviation experts say.
The longest autorotation in history was performed by Jean Boulet in 1972 when he reached a record altitude of 12,440 m (40,814 ft) in an Aérospatiale Lama. Because of a −63°C temperature at that altitude, as soon as he reduced power the engine flamed out and could not be restarted. By using autorotation he was able to land the aircraft safely.