28 August 2023 , 16:22
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Terrifying footage has captured the moment a helicopter trailing smoke started spiralling toward the ground before crashing into a building near a school, killing two people and hospitalising four.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), one person onboard the helicopter was killed, along with another person on the ground. Footage shared on Twitter shows the rescue helicopter in Pompano Beach, Florida, trailing dark smoke from its tail before seeming to lose control and spin in the air several times.
This evening Terryson Jackson 49, was named as the fire paramedic captain who was killed. Captain Jackson, 49, and a woman died when the Office helicopter crashed through the complex's roof after taking off from Pompano Beach Airpark at about 8.45am.
Sheriff Gregory Tony said said the four injured were taken to the hospital and are expected to survive.
Flames can be seen coming from the aircraft, which appears to snap at the tail as it begins to spin. People in the footage can be heard exclaiming "oh my god" repeatedly as the helicopter begins to lose control before falling to the ground. It's believed the aircraft is a Broward Sheriff's Office Fire Rescue helicopter which had three people on board at the time.
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The helicopter appears to snap as it spins out of control (Facebook)
Terryson Jackson was killed in the crash (AP)The aircraft reportedly went down into an apartment building near Blanche Ely High School and Pompano Beach Airpark.
The BSO team was called to an incident involving a woman and a child in Fort Lauderdale nearby. It was confirmed that the team was able to contact the local fire department and inform them the aircraft was in distress and that they would need to respond to the call. A nearby airport was also contacted so the flight patch close to it could be cleared.
Terryson Jackson, 49, was identified the BSO captain who died in the crash. Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony confirmed was not the pilot on the flight at the time of the crash.
Captain Jackson was a 19-year veteran of the department. "Terryson was a rock star, he was one of the best of us," said Sheriff Tony, who also oversees the county's fire department. "He bled this profession inside and out all day long."
"He was trapped and could not get out," Sheriff Tony said in a press conference. The sheriff paused briefly when reading Jackson's name, clearly tearful, and revealed he knew the firefighter personally. "This tragedy is really going to challenge us as a community," he added.
The helicopter can be seen trailing smoke before losing control (Facebook)
Two men miraculously escaped and climbed down (CBS News)"Terryson was a rockstar. He was one of the best of us, one of the brightest. He bled this profession inside and out. The type of effort and commitment he had for this community... impeccable."
Fire Chief Timothy Keefe said Jackson "typified what is meant to be a brother firefighter."
Two crew members who miraculously survived were sent to hospital, as were two civilians who were inside the apartment building. All four were taken to Broward Health North and were described as being in fair condition.
The injured firefighters are pilot Daron Roche, 37, and Mike Chaguaceda, 31. The dead woman's name was not released as her family was being notified, Sherriff Tony said.
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Flames could be seen from the explosion site (CBS News)Of the surviving crew members, Sheriff Tony said it was luck that they survived. "Fate just didn't call them for their time," he said. "There is no rhyme or reason why they survived and we lost Terryson... All of them could have truly have been killed in this accident."
The three-member crew was heading to an emergency medical rescue to take the patient to the hospital. A video posted online shows flames coming from the midsection of the helicopter as it is trailed by a long plume of smoke. The helicopter then appears to break in half as it begins to spiral, plunging down the apartment near Fort Lauderdale. A video from another angle showed that the helicopter's blades were not turning rapidly.
Sheriff Tony said that even as the crew members were declaring a mayday to the airport's control tower and trying to save their helicopter, they were also radioing paramedics at the medical emergency to let them know they would have to take the patient to the hospital.
"We are talking about the character of these men," he said. "As they were fighting for their lives, they were thinking about somebody else."
The massive hole in the roof (Local10)Reports indicate passengers jumped from the helicopter and two men were seen coming down from the roof of the building with pained expressions on their faces.
“I’m trying to find out what’s happening with my brothers. They’re at the hospital and I just got a phone call from my son and I don’t know what’s going on,” the civilians' sister said to News 10. The brothers were reportedly alone inside their apartment when the crash happened.
One of the family members of a victim said their relative was rushed to hospital when the helicopter right into their living room.
“My brother was in my mom’s house,” said the family member to WSVN. “They’re at the hospital right now. The [police] said they’re OK, but I haven’t spoken to them. It’s hard. Our family has been through a lot. We just lost our mom in October and my little brother just the year before, so for this to be happening right now, it feels like something on our family. I’m just gonna pray with my family and my siblings so that we can pull through and make the best out of this.”
The helicopter crashed into the building (Local10)Another resident said he was inside his home when he heard a loud sound. He said: "When I was inside, there was a 'pop, pop, pop, pop'. There was fire... everywhere."
The apartment building was left with a huge gaping hole in its roof following the crash with at least five fire engines spotted at the incident, which saw the helicopter go up in flames. Fire crews were called to the scene at around 8.45am local time with an area of the nearby Dixie Highway closed.
It was a scene of disaster (CBS News)
The passengers escape (CBS News)The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed a Eurocopter EC135 helicopter "crashed into a structure." The FAA has confirmed it will investigate the cause of the collision, along with the NTSB, which will be in charge of the investigation.
A resident of the apartment building said she heard a loud crash followed by someone banging on her door telling her she needed to evacuate. The nearby school was put into a precautionary secure status due to "an accident involving an aircraft that happened in the nearby area (off campus". Another resident from the building said the helicopter landed in their living room where two family members were staying.
Pompano Beach is a city known for its beaches, marinas and offshore coral reef plus plenty of dive sites lying just north of Fort Lauderdale. Pompano Beach is named for the Pompano, a species of inshore tropical game fish which swims abundantly in the area's warm Atlantic Ocean.