Fatal Duke Energy Helicopter Accident in Rockingham County, North Carolina
Eden, North Carolina - A news report published on wfmynews2.com states that a pilot was tragically killed, and two passengers were severely injured following an accident involving a Duke Energy helicopter.* The helicopter accident occurred last Wednesday in Rockingham County, North Carolina.
According to the news report, the helicopter crashed at approximately one in the afternoon close to the Duke Energy plant that is located off of South Edgewood Drive. The federal aviation administration, also known as the FAA, reported that a Bell 429 helicopter was involved in the accident while the helicopter pilot was conducting powerline work close by Rosewood Lane.
There were three people on board the helicopter, the FAA stated. The three people involved in the helicopter accident were all employed by Duke Energy, and they were surveying powerlines up until the moment of the crash. After the helicopter coat crashed with the ground, the two passengers were able to escape the flames. One man was taken to the University of North Carolina Rockingham hospital, and the other accident victim was airlifted to wake forest Baptist Health care. Emergency medical services stated that the two men were able to speak and were conscious. The names of those involved or their medical conditions were not released at this time.
Emergency first responders stated that the accident caused a fire in the wooded area. This was because the helicopter was loaded with fuel, and it took emergency crews several hours to put out the fire. Emergency responders discovered the body of the pilot, who was found tragically deceased after they had extinguished the fire at the crash site.
According to Rockingham county emergency services, the preliminary accident report stated that the helicopter had collected collided with the house, but those accident reports were not confirmed. Rockingham County emergency services stated that the entire crash site was contained within the wooded area and that the crash impacted no residences. In addition, there were no power outages as a result of the helicopter accident.
The FAA will be working with the national transportation safety board on Thursday to investigate and remove the helicopter wreckage. There were multiple law-enforcement and medical agencies that responded to the helicopter accident, including Rockingham County Emergency Medical Services, Rockingham County Sheriffs Office, Eden Rescue Squad, Draper Fire, Eden Fire, Shiloh Fire, Leakesville Fire, Virginia Air Life, Eden Police, Wake Forest Air Care, Rockingham County Emergency Management, NCHSP, Rockingham County Fire Marshal's Office, FAA, and North Carolina Emergency Management. The Shiloh fire department responded with a fire suppression foam.
The cause of the helicopter accident is currently under investigation.
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