PALM BAY, Fla. – Investigators confirmed the identity of one of the three people killed in last week’s fiery crash of a large, military-style helicopter performing low-flying maneuvers over a rural section of Palm Bay, News 6 partner Florida Today reports.
Federal investigators also released a preliminary report on the crash that shows no obvious signs of mechanical error while noting what may have been the low speed of the air craft’s six-blade rotors.
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The badly burned body of Greggory Cluff, 57, a retired Utah National Guard master aviator with over 6,000 flight experience, was found in the pilot’s seat of the helicopter, a 48-seat Sikorsky S-61N. The Brevard medical examiner’s office is awaiting dental and medical records to make a positive identification on the two others - including the co-pilot - who died in the accident.
A preliminary investigative report issued by the National Transportation and Safety Board does not indicate any mechanical error in the crash of a large, military-style helicopter performing low-flying maneuvers over Palm Bay last week. However, the report pointed out that the main and tail rotor blades showed signs ‘consistent with low rotational energy.” The aircraft had recently undergone a check in August, reports show.
The technical findings come nearly a week after NTSB investigators pointed out that there were no obvious problems with the Sikorsky S-61N helicopter owned by a division of the global aviation support company AAR Airlift Group, Inc. based in Palm Bay.
Cluff, and the other two were employees of the company, were killed instantly when the helicopter slammed into the open field in a southwestern section of the city about eight miles from the Orlando Melbourne International Airport where it took off about 16 minutes before, reports show.
Read more at FloridaToday.com.