1979 — Jan 17, helicopters collide (four on USCG) & 1 on civilian, Opa-Locka, FL — all 5

–5 AP. “Five Die in Helicopter Collision.” News Herald, Panama City, FL, 1-18-1979, 6A.

Narrative Information

Jan 18: “Opa-Locka, Fla. (AP) – A Coast Guard helicopter and a smaller, private helicopter collided during practice flights 200 feet above one of the nation’s busiest general aviation airports Wednesday. All five people aboard the two aircraft were killed. ‘It was just an incredible ball of fire,’ said eyewitness Chuck LaBow, a pilot for the Goodyear blimp, which is based at the airfield but was not involved in the accident. ‘I saw the wreckage hitting the ground…It was totally engulfed in flames when it hit the ground.’….

“Two officers and two enlisted men were aboard the Coast Guard helicopter, according to Allen [Coast Guard Lt. Bob Allen]. Bob Ott, owner of the Burnside-Ott flying school which operated the other craft, said one person – a male flying student – was aboard the second helicopter….Ott said the student was on ‘a supervised solo,’ practicing take-offs and landings with an instructor watching from the ground. ‘As he rose to 200 feet, the Coast Guard helicopter descended on top of him,’ Ott said.

“Allen said the Coast Guard aircraft was returning to its base at the airport after practicing air-sea rescue maneuvers in the area.

“Ott quoted the instructor, whom he refused to identify, as saying that the Coast Guard helicopter apparently was practicing a powerless descent at the time of the collision.

“Jack Barker, an Atlanta-based spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, said the two aircraft ‘were not under air traffic control at the time.’ ‘They were in an area where the control tower could see them,’ Barker said, ‘but the area is used mostly for helicopter training.’ He said a federal investigation of the accident was under way.

“Another FAA spokesman said the Opa-Locka airport and a general aviation field near Van Nuys, Calif., compete monthly as the busiest in the nation.”

Source

Associated Press. “Five Die in Helicopter Collision.” News Herald, Panama City, FL, 1-18-1979, 6A. Accessed 2-11-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/panama-city-news-herald-jan-18-1979-p-6/