Helicopter Crashes At Westchester County Airport
RYE BROOK, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A helicopter went down Saturday morning as its pilot tried to land at the Westchester County Airport.
The two people onboard the helicopter suffered minor injuries.
The Federal Aviation Administration told CBS 2 the H269 helicopter crashed beside Runway 11/19 at the airport in Rye Brook around 8:40 a.m. The helicopter rolled onto its side, the FAA said.
The helicopter pilot was attempting to land when the accident occurred.
Two people were onboard the aircraft at the time, the FAA said. The second person was a student, according to officials.
Both the pilot and the student suffered minor injuries, officials said. They were both taken to Greenwich Hospital in Greenwich, Conn.
Airport Manager Peter Scherrer told CBS 2's Sonia Moghe that he couldn't believe anyone survived the wreck.
"It was quite a bit of damage there so we're happy to say that they walked away from it," he said.
The student and instructor involved in the crash were from the Wings Air Flying School which is located on airport property. The school touts helicopter tours and teaches people how to fly.
FAA investigators were on the scene at Wings on Saturday but would not confirm the names of the men on the flight or what caused the crash.
Scherrer, a former flight instructor, told CBS 2's Moghe that part of learning to fly is learning what to do in case of a crash.
"What would you do to get out, what would you do if you have an engine failure. So, we go through a lot of emergency procedures when you're teaching someone to fly," he explained.
Scherrer said that flights were not delayed as a result of the crash because it did not happen on the airport's main runway.
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