State Police Mark Anniversary Of Deadly Chopper Crash
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (CBS/AP) — Massachusetts state police marked the 20th anniversary of a helicopter crash that killed two state troopers and two telephone company workers Sunday.
A wreath-laying ceremony and flyover took place at a Harvard University boathouse along the Charles River in Cambridge, the site of the Feb. 22, 1995, accident.
The state police chopper crashed on the roof of the boathouse after taking off from Boston. Federal investigators later cited several factors including poor pilot training and contaminated fuel.
Sgt. James Mattaliano and Sgt. Paul Perry of the state police died in the crash. Also killed were Arthur Howell and Michael McCarthy, AT&T technicians who were being flown to a state facility to work on communications equipment.
"They came to work every morning, worked hard, they would answer the call in the middle of the night," said Dean Bennett, the former sergeant of the air wing. "They died doing what they loved."
Family members were invited to the ceremony, which was postponed one week due to the winter weather.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Kim Tunnicliffe reports:
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