MEC&F Expert Engineers : Pilot doing training killed after a PennSTAR Eurocopter EC 135 medical helicopter crashed and burned into an industrial estate one mile from New Castle Airport

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Pilot doing training killed after a PennSTAR Eurocopter EC 135 medical helicopter crashed and burned into an industrial estate one mile from New Castle Airport







The pilot killed in the crash of a medical helicopter in New Castle County, Delaware on Thursday has been identified.

The pilot was 37-year-old Michael R. Murphy from Franklinville, New Jersey. Friends say Murphy was the father of one child, and his wife is expecting another.







Gloucester County Hero Scholarship Fund, Inc.


It is with great sadness that we share the tragic line of duty death of EMS Pilot Michael R. Murphy of Franklin Twp.
We ask that you keep his family and his colleagues in your thoughts and close to your heart during this most difficult time.
" Man must rise above the Earth — to the top of the atmosphere and beyond — for only thus will he fully understand the world in which he lives." — Socrates

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NEW CASTLE, DE (WTXF) - Emergency crews are responding to a helicopter crash in New Castle, Delaware that left one person dead Thursday morning, according to State Police.

The crash occurred around noon near the 100 block of Quigley Boulevard.

Initials reports suggest the helicopter may have crashed behind a small building in a commercial area, and the helicopter was inbound toward the Wilmington Airport at the time of the crash.


Crews in the area are reportedly working in a wooded area with saws to clear a path as they work to make sure there were no other victims.

Officials on scene tell us that only one person was believed to be on-board at the time of the crash.

A Penn Medicine spokesperson said in a statement that the helicopter was being operated by Metro Aviation, which provides services for PennSTAR, and the pilot was conducting a training flight at the time.

No patients or employees were on board, the Penn statement said.



PennSTAR helicopter that was registered to the University of Pennsylvania.=======================



A medical helicopter crashed and burned in Delaware Thursday killing the only person on board.

The Eurocopter twin-engine helicopter went down shortly before noon off of Route 13 near Frenchtown Road short of the runway of the New Castle Airport, said Delaware River and Bay Authority, which manages the airport.

The pilot was the only person on board and died, police said. No injuries were reported on the ground.

NBC 10 has learned it was a PennStar helicopter on a training mission. It was training in inclement weather, to prepare for emergency situations.

Some choppers weren't flying on Thursday due to cloud cover that caused a low ceiling.

Black smoke could be seen pouring into the air off Quigley Boulevard near the post office facility. The wreck caused minor damage to buildings, police said.

The chopper wasn't headed to or from an emergency at the time it went down, authorities said.

The NTSB was en route to the crash scene Thursday afternoon.The NTSB reports that there have been four helicopter crashes in Delaware over the last decade -- one fatal -- and none involved a Eurocopter



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Date: 25-MAY-2017
Time: 11:55LT
Type:
Eurocopter EC 135
Owner/operator: PennStar Flight
Registration:

C/n / msn:

Fatalities: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities: 0
Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: 1mi SE New Castle Airport, New Castle County, DE - United States of America
Phase: Unknown
Nature: Training
Departure airport: New Castle (ILG/KILG)
Destination airport: New Castle (ILG/KILG)
Narrative:
Crashed into an industrial estate one mile from New Castle Airport. Post crash fire. Fatality of sole POB reported. Preliminary reports indicate that the helicopter was conducting practice approaches at the airport.

Sources:
http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Helicopter-Crash-New-Castle-424357434.html
http://6abc.com/news/helicopter-crash-in-new-castle-delaware-leaves-1-dead/2035505/
http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/traffic/2017/05/25/helicopter-crash-new-castle-few-details-known/345809001/
http://www.wgmd.com/helicopter-crash-in-new-castle/
http://6abc.com/news/pennstar-medical-helicopter-crashes-in-del;-1-dead/2035505/

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https://www.google.com/maps/place/WIlmington+Airport+(ILG),+151+N+Dupont+Hwy+%23+11,+New+Castle,+DE+19720/@39.6653014,-75.6041054,20z/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x89c703c4b1aabc31:0xf09353a323445a2?hl=en-us
http://www1.pennmedicine.org/pennstar/fleet.html