Officers Survive Copter Crash

[CD]

Officers survive copter crash

 

By Nancy Flores

San Antonio Express-News

 

Web Posted : 02/20/2004 12:00 AM

 

The slightest hesitation could have cost them their lives.

But a maneuver that some call miraculous saved two San Antonio police helicopter pilots early Thursday.

 

As streetlights speckled the ground below, officers Edward A. Ramirez and Michael Welborn lifted off to follow a West Side police chase.

 

Just a minute after the helicopter's 2:38 a.m. take off from Stinson Airfield, with dispatcher chatter inside the cockpit of Eagle 3 steadily growing, the veteran pilots felt a shudder and heard several bangs before the engine cut out.

 

A witness reported a flame shooting out the back of the helicopter. Welborn, his voice strained on a videotape from the craft, alerted the dispatcher that the helicopter was going down.

 

"Come on, auto! Come on, auto!" Welborn yelled to Ramirez, who was piloting the aircraft. Welborn was referring to the use of the "auto-rotation" emergency move that kept the rotors twirling above.

 

"Eagle, mayday Eagle!" Welborn screamed on the tape. "We're going down!"

 

 

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Officers survive copter crash - San Antonio News

 

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[LDP]

 

Thats quite the tape... There are not many accidents that you can see what was going on inside the cockpit. Glad they are ok.

[PedalJam]

:shock: Boy that will get the old heart rate going

 

Good job on them thou , get to go home to the kids

[viper1]

Wow......*&% Thank God for lighted parking lots. Things go really fast from flying to ground...27 seconds......

[picapart]

Is that machine a 500 or something? I can't quite make it out .

[Batfink]

That was a beautiful 720 auto at night !! without much warning (looks like they had a govenor surging or something). Just gotta remember to drop the pole and flare when you roll out... Great job saving 2 lives that night!!!

[Rotorhead]

Is that machine a 500 or something? I can't quite make it out .

Looks like a Schweizer 330

[viper1]

Sounds like engine failure with the horn going off.

[412driver]

it is a schweizer 333 turbine belonging to the san antonio police department.....