Two helicopters collided at the Homestead-Miami Speedway after the NASCAR championship Sunday, killing one pilot, authorities said. One helicopter was taking off from the speedway’s helipad shortly before 9 p.m. while another was attempting to land, said Miami-Dade Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Richard Martin. “They had either a mid-air collision or a near-midair collision. One of them did a hard landing right on the helipad. No one on that craft was injured,” Martin said. The other pilot died after being airlifted to a Miami hospital, a spokeswoman for the Miami-Dade Police Department said. The pilot’s identification was being withheld pending family notification. Todd Shook, 46, of Sarasota, said he saw the blades of one helicopter clip the body of the second helicopter as he was walking to his RV parked outside the speedway. One helicopter landed lopsided on the speedway’s helipad, and the other crashed into an RV parked nearby, he said. “It just hit real hard, and then I saw the windshield all broken out,” Shook said. It was not immediately clear if the RV was occupied at the time of the crash.(ESPN.com/AP)(11-20-2005)
UPDATE: A pilot was killed after two helicopters crashed en route to pick up participants following Sunday’s Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. One helicopter was taking off from the speedway’s helipad shortly before 9 p.m. while another was attempting to land, Miami-Dade Fire-Rescue battalion chief Richard Martin told The Associated Press. The pilot died after being airlifted to a Miami hospital, a spokeswoman for the Miami-Dade Police Department said. The pilot’s identity was being withheld pending family notification. Reed Sorenson, who finished 28th in the 400, was waiting to board one of the helicopters just prior to the crash. “I was the next one in line to go,” Sorenson said. “I saw them hit. One went straight down and the other tried to land in the grass nearby. It took off part of his landing gear. I took off running because I thought parts were going everywhere. After seeing that, I don’t think I’ll ever fly a helicopter again.” Speedway officials said only that the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)(11-21-2005)
