Helicopter crash-landing caught on surveillance video, rotor kills man on ground

PALM RIVER, Fla. — One person is dead after a helicopter went down on a highway in Florida Thursday. The pilot told investigators he had a catastrophic engine failure.

The helicopter crash-landed in the middle of a busy street with buildings and power lines on both sides. Moments from impact, the pilot and passenger had to dodge a tractor-trailer in video captured from surveillance cameras.

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Investigators say a piece of the rotor blade broke off after cutting a power pole in half. The shrapnel flew across the intersection and hit a father and son driving down the street. They were no where near the crash site. First responders say the driver suffered minor cuts and was taken to the hospital. His father died instantly in the passenger seat next to him.

NTSB investigator Dan Boggs told WFTS the helicopter is brand new, only a couple of months old, and a very safe model. Boggs said if this happened anywhere else it would probably just be a hard landing. "So when the metal skids hit the blacktop, he did slide. If this had been on grass he'd of probably stopped right where he landed."

The NTSB expects to release a preliminary report of their findings in a couple of weeks. It will take at least 18 months for their final report. "He really did about the best job you can do in that situation," said Boggs.

CNN/WFTS