The helicopter model involved in the tragic NBC LA chopper crash in Los Angeles has a concerning accident history — including a significant connection to the fatal crash that killed musician Oliver Tree.
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that → involve → Tree
NBC LA’s Chopper 4 was a Eurocopter AS 350 B2 Ecureuil, a single-engine aircraft that has been involved in at least six fatal accidents this year alone.
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that → involve → accidents
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Sign → sign → California
The Eurocopter AS 350 B2 Ecureuil is part of the Aérospatiale AS 350 Écureuil helicopter family that first entered production in the 1970s.
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that → enter → 1970s
The B2 variant entered production in 1990.
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variant → enter → 1990
A Eurocopter AS 350B2 Ecureuil, within the same helicopter family as the NBC chopper, collided in mid-air with a Bell 206B JetRanger III carrying Californian singer Oliver Tree and his entourage in Brazil in June this year.
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Ecureuil → collide → June
The crash killed six people, including the pilot of the Eurocopter.
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crash → kill → Eurocopter
The Tree crash happened after he boarded a helicopter in Recreio dos Bandeirantes, in the Southwest zone of Rio de Janeiro, CNN reported.
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CNN → happen → Janeiro
The chopper Tree was on then slammed into the other one over an electric car lot, setting at least 20 cars ablaze in the deadly collision.
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Tree → slam → collision
Other victims included passengers Lucas Vignale, Gaspar Prim (also known as Argentinian YouTuber Gaspi), Lucas Brito Chaves, and pilots Alexandre Souza and Charles Marsillac.
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victims → include → Gaspi
Four other fatal incidents involving the Aérospatiale AS 350 Écureuil helicopter family include a Germany crash in August, an May crash in China, a May crash on a hunting trip in New Zealand that killed two, and a February Kenya crash that killed six people, according to the Aviation Safety Network.
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that → involve → Network
Nearly 400 flight incidents involving the Aérospatiale AS 350 Écureuil helicopter family have occurred in the US since January 1980, according to the Aviation Safety Network.
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incidents → involve → Network
The helicopter the news crew was in — with registration N358TV — was manufactured in 2004, according to FAA records.
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crew → manufacture → records
Records show the aircraft’s registration was valid until December 2028.
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registration → show → December
Maintenance records filed with the FAA show the helicopter last had a major repair and alteration in Aug. 2023, related to its airframe.
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helicopter → file → airframe
Work included a door modification, a new equipment list and a weight and balance revision.
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Work → include → modification
Veteran helicopter pilot and former news reporter Zoey Tur said video from the crash appeared to capture signs of an engine failure shortly before the helicopter went down.
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helicopter → say → failure
“If you listen, you could hear the low rotor RPM annunciator horn going off.
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horn → listen → ?
You could also hear the engine rev down.
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engine → hear → ?
“This was an engine failure, and slow response into entering an auto -rotation by PiC.
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This → enter → PiC.
No survivors,” Tur wrote, noting in an accompanying post that she owned two similar helicopters.
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she → write → helicopters
The helicopter circled the area for about an hour before its fateful uncontrolled descent, according to flight data.
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helicopter → circle → data
Moreno is heard planning out the shot for the bus in her final moments.
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Moreno → hear → moments
“Can we plan our spot, George?” Moreno says at the beginning of the video.
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Moreno → plan → video
“Uh oh,” Moreno then says as an alarm is heard.
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alarm → say → ?
“Can you… you can’t pull up?” Moreno says as the chopper shudders, causing the camera to shake.
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camera → pull → ?
The video cuts out as the chopper rapidly descends.
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chopper → cut → ?
The FAA told the California Post that it is investigating alongside the NTSB.
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it → tell → NTSB
The NTSB will lead the inquiry, they said.
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they → lead → inquiry
A preliminary FAA accident report said three people died in the crash “UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES” and described a post-crash fire.
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people → say → fire
The California Post reached out to Airbus Helicopters for comment.
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Post → reach → comment
The Aporia
