NTSB releases preliminary report on Bloom Fair copter crash
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SENTINEL FILE PHOTO - The scene of a helicopter crash at the Bloomsburg Fair.
By Kaylee Lindenmuth | [email protected]
BLOOMSBURG, Columbia County – A sightseeing helicopter spun two and a half times on approach to a helipad when it crashed at the Bloomsburg Fair about a week and a half ago.
The crash occurred around 7:30pm on Sept. 28 in a parking lot at the fairgrounds.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, an Enstrom F-28F sightseeing helicopter, owned by J&J Shop HeliAir, LLC “was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain and vehicles during an approach to a helipad.”
Three people were injured in the crash, one with serious injuries and two with minor injuries.
The crash was caught on tape by a surveillance camera, the NTSB report said, showing the helicopter approaching the helipad in a hover, pitching up and beginning a clockwise turn. The copter then completed two and a half spins while descending, before striking several vehicles and the ground.
The helicopter came to a rest on its left side and suffered substantial damage.
The pilot, reported by the Sunbury Daily Item as Kenneth Cordrey of Delmar, DE, had 8,400 flight hours as of March 2019 and held a commercial pilots license for helicopters and single engine airplanes, the NTSB said.
The crash occurred in clear weather conditions with a calm wind.
According to the Daily Item, the two passengers were treated and released for their injuries, and Cordrey’s condition was upgraded from critical to fair on Oct. 1.
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