Man killed when burning helicopter crashed into flats is 'rock star' fire hero

28 August 2023 , 19:36

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Man killed when burning helicopter crashed into flats is 'rock star' fire hero

One of two people killed when a burning helicopter crashed into an apartment has been named as fire and rescue Captain Terryson Jackson.

A medical rescue helicopter caught fire and broke apart shortly after takeoff today before crashing into an apartment complex in Florida, killing the paramedic captain on board and a resident on the ground. Two others on board and two other people at the apartment complex were injured.

Broward County Fire-Rescue Capt. Terryson Jackson, 49, and a woman died when the Broward Sheriff's Office helicopter crashed through the complex's roof after taking off from Pompano Beach Airpark at about 8.45am, Sheriff Gregory Tony said. He said the four injured were taken to the hospital and are expected to survive.

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."

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Broward County Fire-Rescue Captain Terryson Jackson, was killed in the crash (AP)

(theperryguy/Twitter)

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.

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.

(Local10)

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."

Witness Brian Piggott told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that the helicopter began trailing smoke as soon as it took off. It then lost altitude and crashed.

Victoria Walczak, who was inside the apartment building, said the crash was louder than thunder. "I thought a bomb went off," she told the newspaper.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.

We'll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures and videos on this breaking news story.

Joseph Wilkes