The helicopter, which showed no clear signs of serious engine failure, was traveling at about 184 miles per hour and fighting to clear low-hanging clouds when it crashed close to a mountain bike trail near Calabasas, Calif., the National Transportation Safety Board said in the report. Most of the wreckage came to rest 127 feet away from the main point of impact, investigators found. A tree branch about 30 feet ahead of where the helicopter hit was sliced cleanly in three different spots, it said. The report represented the N.T.S.B’s initial fact-finding on the Jan. 26 crash. It focused primarily on the layout of the crash site, the pilot’s last communications with air traffic controllers, witnesses who lived near the crash site and reports of weather, which contributed to diminished visibility along much of the helicopter’s route across the San Fernando Valley and the Santa Monica Mountains.

Source: New York Times February 07, 2020 20:28 UTC