A preliminary report indicates a mechanical problem may have played a role in the February helicopter crash that killed two Arizona Department of Public Safety personnel in Flagstaff.
Trooper-paramedic Hunter Bennett and pilot Robert Skankey were providing air support on the night of Feb. 4 as Flagstaff police pursued an active shooting suspect in a residential area.
The National Transportation Safety Board issued the preliminary report Tuesday. It does not identify a cause for the crash but notes that investigators found no evidence that the helicopter was struck by gunfire. Instead, the report points to an issue with the helicopter’s main rotor.
Investigators reported two loud banging sounds over the radio, followed by someone saying, “We’re going down,” before the aircraft rapidly descended. A final report could take a year or more to complete.
The pursuit began with a domestic violence call in a west Flagstaff neighborhood.
The encounter escalated into a standoff and officers say they exchanged fire with 50-year-old Terrell Storey. Police later shot and arrested Storey after more than two hours.
Storey faces 60 felony counts related to the shootout and the helicopter crash, including two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Skankey and Bennett.
Under Arizona law, a person can be charged with murder if someone dies during the commission of certain other crimes.
