Report: Instructional pilot didn't know plane hit helicopter in fatal Chandler crash

The National Transportation Safety Board issued its preliminary report on a fatal mid-air collision involving a small plane and a helicopter that killed two people the morning of Oct. 1.

The report said the two aircrafts were flying in parallel traffic patterns at Chandler Municipal Airport and the pilots for both were communicating with the air traffic control tower. The report states that the airplane was cleared to land while the helicopter was "cleared for the option."

As the plane prepared to land, a flight instructor who was in the plane with their student radioed the tower and said they felt and heard a loud bang and may have struck some birds, apparently unaware the plane had hit a helicopter. The instructor declared an emergency and had tower personnel check that the landing gear was properly extended before landing.

The plane's left wing was descending during landing, and after landing the plane veered left, left the runway and came to a stop in a field. 

The report said witnesses spotted a downed helicopter about half a mile from the airport where first responders found the wreckage and a fire caused by the crash. The helicopter had also been operating as an instructional flight.

Both people in the helicopter were dead, while neither of the plane's occupants suffered any injuries. 

The helicopter was operated by Quantum Helicopters and the plane by Flight Operations Academy, both flight schools, Chandler police previously said.

The investigation into the collision was ongoing. 

Reach the reporter Perry Vandell at 602-444-2474 or perry.vandell@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @PerryVandell.

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