Cause of 2022 Drexel Hill medical helicopter crash still unknown in NTSB final report
DREXEL HILL, Pa. (CBS) -- The National Transportation Safety Board released its final report on Monday after a medical helicopter crashed outside a church in Drexel Hill in 2022.
But, the NTSB still didn't give an exact cause for the crash.
The helicopter was flying a young patient from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia back in January 2022 when it crashed in the Delco town west of Philadelphia.
The NTSB says the helicopter experienced a sudden altitude change that caused the rotor system to speed up and the engines to lose power.
While the helicopter was in the air, the NTSB report said it began a normal descent from 3,700 feet to 3,400 feet at around noon on the day of the crash. But after the crew established normal communication with the communication center, satellite tracking was lost, according to the NTSB.
Moments later, surveillance video showed the chopper crashing at about 12:54 p.m. and just narrowly missing nearby buildings.
A baby and all three crew members miraculously survived the crash.
After the crash, emergency responders, hospital staff, family and friends honored the helicopter pilot, Danial Moore, as he left the hospital.
Moore was seriously injured during the crash that also had a 2-month-old baby, nurse and flight medic on board.
"I am pretty sure God was partly on the controls for that one," Moore told CBS Philadelphia in January 2022.
Audio from the 911 call in 2022 captured the terrifying moments after the aircraft landed in front of the Drexel Hill United Methodist Church.