Fire and rescue personnel work in the area where a medical rescue helicopter crashed, Monday, Aug. 28, 2023, in Pompano Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
By Terry Spencer
A medical rescue helicopter caught fire and broke apart shortly after takeoff Monday before crashing into an apartment complex near Fort Lauderdale, killing a paramedic captain on board and a resident on the ground, authorities said.
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 8:45 a.m., Sheriff Gregory Tony said. He said the four injured were taken to the hospital and are expected to survive.
Jackson was a 19-year veteran of the department.
“Terryson was a rock star, he was one of the best of us,” said Tony, who also oversees the county's fire department. “He bled this profession inside and out all day long.”
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, 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 to the ground. A video from another angle showed that the helicopter's blades were not turning rapidly.
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,” Tony 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.
Was it a coincidence that the omicron coronavirus variant evolved in a region with low vaccination rates? Cheddar speaks with epidemiologist Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding on the topic.
Astra founder, chairman, and CEO Chris Kemp spoke to Cheddar's Kristen Scholer about his company's first successful launch into orbit last month, becoming the fastest space company to reach orbit using a privately developed liquid-fueled rocket. He also noted that the company's priority is to "improve life on Earth from space" by rapidly increasing the number of low-orbiting satellites to do everything from connecting people to monitoring weather patterns.
Stocks closed at session lows Wednesday as investors grew skittish over the first reported case of the COVID-19 omicron variant in California. Josh Sailar, Partner at Blue Zone Wealth Advisors, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss investor worry over the new variant, the Fed dropping the word 'transitory' to describe inflation and potentially speeding up their asset tapering timeline, 2022 predictions, and more.
As cases of the COVID-19 Omicron variant continue to pop up, including the first U.S. case in California, how will domestic holiday travel be impacted? That part of the travel sector has mostly recovered from the year-long pandemic rout, while business travel continues its slump. But could a new variant bring new lockdowns and domestic restrictions? Clint Henderson, Senior News Editor at The Points Guy, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss what the omicron variant means for holiday travel, best practices for passengers traveling through airports, and more.
Over the Thanksgiving holiday, Elon Musk warned SpaceX employees in a leaked email that the company could be forced to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy if its raptor engine program fails. Musk then commented on the previous statement adding the detail that a recession could make such a bankruptcy possible.
With the emergence of the omicron variant, the U.S. is considering tightening international travel guidelines. The CDC said it might reduce the window for foreign travelers to submit a negative COVID-19 test from three days prior to one day before allowing entry.
Jill and Carlo cover the latest on Omicron, another school shooting in America and more. Plus, bidding farewell to 'transitory' inflation, and the controversy surrounding 'Lovely Bones' author Alice Sebold.
