Investigators searched for answers Sunday after an Atlanta police helicopter crashed late Saturday night and claimed the lives of two officers who were looking for a runaway boy.
The helicopter hit the top of a power line pole and its support cables before falling to the ground, federal government investigators said Sunday.
Ralph Hicks, investigator in charge for the National Transportation Safety Board, said witnesses reported that they heard the sound of a helicopter and saw a flash of light when it hit the pole. Part of the landing gear got stuck in the cables and later was taken down by utility crews.
Hicks said he would not speculate on the cause of the crash, but said that a preliminary report could be available as early as the end of this week. He said that based on precedent, the investigation could take six to nine months to complete.
Earlier, Atlanta Police Department officials identified the two officers killed in the crash which occurred near the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. and Hamilton E. Holmes drives near I-20 on the city’s northwest side as Richard J. Halford, 48, and Shawn A. Smiley, 40.
Halford and Smiley were using the helicopter to search for a missing 9-year-old boy who was later found safe
Halford, of Lithia Springs, joined the APD in May 1986. He had been with the air unit for more than 16 years, serving as a pilot. Halford also has served in APD’s Zone 4 precinct, the motors and DUI units. He is survived by his former wife, and a 21-year-old daughter, according to Atlanta police officials.
Smiley, of Lithonia, joined the APD in October 2010. He joined the air unit earlier this year, serving as a tactical flight officer. He also served in the Department’s Zone 2 precinct. He is survived by his wife and three children, ages 5, 7, and 9.
Trust funds have been set up to benefit the officers’ families through any Wells Fargo bank location, authorities said. Contributions may be made in the name of the officers beginning noon on Monday. Funeral arrangements are pending.
No one on the ground was injured in the crash.
The mother of the 9-year-old boy said she was distraught over the tragedy.
“I just want to tell their families I am so sorry and all I can do is cry,”Amire Shakir Fulford told Channel 2 Action News.
NTSB officials said the aircraft that crashed was a light helicopter manufactured by Hughes. Hicks said it was flying in a northwest direction when it hit the power pole. He said parts of the helicopter were recovered intact and would be examined over the course of the investigation. Investigators have talked with witnesses and will follow-up with them, he said.
Some witnesses at the scene described what they saw.
Ravien Walker told Channel 2, “I noticed something falling out of the sky. It hit the power line and it hit the ground. I jumped out of my car and ran because I was really close to it. It could have fell right down on top of my car.”
Another witness, Darryl James, said, “For that time of night, there was nobody on the street for some odd reason. The helicopter hit in the middle of the street with no traffic.”
James told the Associated Press, “The tail end went down and then there was an explosion.”
Police mourned the loss.
“Anytime I get a call late at night, it’s always a tragic situation,” Atlanta Police Chief George Turner said. “Losing an officer is the most difficult thing a police chief can face. Losing two is an unthinkable tragedy.”
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed also expressed his sympathies to the officers’ families.
“We mourn these two brave men and offer our deepest condolences to their families and loved ones,” Reed said in an emailed statement. “We also pause to extend our sympathy to the men and women of the police department who place their lives in harm’s way every day to keep our city safe, and who especially feel the pain of this loss.”
The officers killed Saturday night were the second and third Atlanta officers killed this year in the line of duty. In January, Senior Officer Gail Thomas died was arriving at a crash scene to help a fellow officer when she was struck by a drunk driver.
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