Hoover Dam Helicopter Crash Kills Five
A luxury sunset tour by helicopter of the Las Vegas Strip and Hoover Dam ended tragically last night as the helicopter crashed into the side of a mountain. The pilot and all four passengers were killed in the crash.
National Park Service spokesman Andrew Munoz said that the helicopter, operated by Sundance Helicopters, crashed into the side of the River Mountains surrounding Lake Mead. The crash occurred just before 5 p.m.
The Huffington Post reports that the helicopter crash occurred at a remote site about 30 miles from the Las Vegas strip. Rescue workers weren’t able to get to the crash site, since it wasn’t accessible by road, until early Thursday morning.
A Sundance Helicopters spokesman said that the helicopter was giving a local tour when it went missing. The spokesman didn’t give any other details. Times Leader reports that the 30-minute “Twilight City Tour” brings people over downtown Las Vegas, the Hoover Dam and the Las Vegas Strip for $210 per person.
The FAA is currently investigating the incident. According to the FAA, the helicopter that crashed near the Hoover Dam was an AS-350 that was built in 1989.
Sundance’s website says:
“All our helicopters are maintained with exacting precision and our pilots are trained then retrained with ongoing recertification in excess of FAA requirements.”
Sundance Helicopters has had accidents in the past, however. In 2003, six passengers were killed when a helicopter crashed in the Grand Canyon. Sundance says it has a 23-helicopter fleet that serves more than 160,000 passengers annually.
Here’s a news report about the Hoover Dam helicopter crash.
The FAA hasn’t determined the cause of the accident. According to the Times Leader, the weather was mostly clear with winds at 5 mph.
Tags : helicopter crash, helicopter tour, hoover dam, hoover dam helicopter crash, sundance helicopters
Posted: December 8, 2011
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Dec 8, 2011
Prayers for the souls of these five persons.The Lord will help their families through this difficult time.
Dec 8, 2011
May God take them all in, despite, perhaps, having been deprived of the blessing of the opportunity to ask for the forgiveness of their sins, which I can only hope they did have. Such anguish, it is, to rue for souls you never knew.Sweet comfort may be found in Psalms, 18:2,3.
Dec 8, 2011
The lord should have helped them before the crash. Believers are soooo stupid.
Dec 8, 2011
Actually, you in part have a point. There's no reason to pray for dead people. Their fate is sealed and cannot be changed. In part, you have erred. You have no idea whether the Lord has helped victims prior to, up to, and through the crash, and SOME believers are stupid. Have a nice day!
Dec 8, 2011
He probably did! the non believers are the ones with no brain!
Dec 9, 2011
Remember seeing a helio, fly above us, right before a picture on the right side of Hoover Dam…I almost booked a sunset flight for V's friends… so glad I didn't. Saying deep rooted prayers that are felt and heard!
Dec 9, 2011
We were just planning on booking a flight with them for our trip from Australia in Jan.Still will probably ahead but not sure if we will go ahead with this company. Praying for all of the family and friends of those who died in the crash.
Dec 9, 2011
NO EXCUSES. THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED. PERIOD.
Dec 9, 2011
Stephen, there are many things that should not have happened. It's just one of those things. We are all subject to "accidents" at any time.
Dec 9, 2011
Louise, go on as planned. No one company is better than next. We are all on borrowed time and don't know what's going to happen when….so just live on as usual.
Dec 11, 2011
Yes good point Thelma ….we can relate to living life as usual as my husband is already living on borrowed time after falling out of the sky in a glider crash in April this year. The pilot broke his vertebra and my husband is still having treatment for compressed vertebra. We are also going to be travelling with 34 students from Australia and we were just made more aware of the potential for accidents. I'm all for risk taking but may have to plan on playing it safe.
Dec 12, 2011
Thelma Lenz, It's not "just one of those things" accidents do happen, true, but negligence and improper safety precautions are more often the cause. I'm sure a thorough investigation will prove me correct.
Dec 25, 2011
Merry Christmas Catherine love her clarnet you can reach her at 360 241 2962