The NTSB is investigating the crash of a 1999 Airbus Helicopters EC135T1 on Monday morning that killed a flight paramedic and one person on the ground. The pilot and another medical crewmember aboard survived, and two other people on the ground were injured after the helicopter's tail boom folded.
Registered as N109BC and operated by the Broward County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office Fire Rescue unit as “Air 85,” the twin-engine helicopter crashed at 8:45 a.m. local time, three minutes after takeoff from the Pompano Beach Airport (KPMP). It went down near the intersection of North Dixie Highway and Atlantic Boulevard, two miles southwest of the airport. Data from FlightRadar24 shows the helicopter proceeded westbound to Interstate Highway 95 before making a 180-degree turn back to the field.
The EC135 was originally en route to pick up a patient in Fort Lauderdale. The pilot reportedly declared an emergency and was attempting a return to the airport when the tail boom folded and the aircraft spun into the roof of a triplex apartment building, killing a resident within and spawning a post-crash fire that destroyed at least two of the building’s three units. Photos and videos show the helicopter trailing smoke and an area of fire beneath the engine deck just forward of where the tail boom attaches to the main fuselage.
During a news conference on Monday, Broward County sheriff Gregory Tony said the helicopter reported mechanical difficulties one minute into the flight and then a fire broke out onboard. "They did their very best from my understanding now to try to extinguish that fire, but additional mechanical issues occurred," he reported.
The sheriff identified the survivors as pilot Daron Roche and medical crewmember Mikael Chaguaceda, both with injuries he categorized as non-life threatening. He named the deceased crewmember as captain Terryson Jackson, a 19-year veteran of the fire rescue department. The deceased apartment resident was not identified.