Preliminary NTSB report reveals new details about Kentucky helicopter crash

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – The National Transportation Safety Board has released a preliminary report on the investigation into a helicopter crash in northern Kentucky that killed three people.

[READ THE FULL REPORT BELOW]

The accident occurred on October 7 in Owenton near Kentucky Highway 22 East.

The helicopter, a Bell 206L-3, was in Owen County to pick up a heart patient.

The three crew members, Gale Alleman, Bethany Aicken and James Welsh, all died in the crash.

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After the crash, NTSB investigator Brian Rayner reported that the helicopter struck a guy line supporting a television tower. Some parts then came off the helicopter and from then on the helicopter fell vertically to the ground.

According to the preliminary report, several witnesses reported seeing the helicopter hit one of the guy wires about 600 feet above the ground. Witnesses also reported that parts of the helicopter, particularly the main rotor, broke off and the helicopter then fell to the ground.

NTSB reports that damage to the rotor blades resulted from a strike against the guy wires.

An inspection of the tower by a civil engineering firm immediately after the crash revealed damage to the hardware of one of the tower's guy cables, but an exact impact location could not be determined.

The NTSB emphasized that the information in the report is preliminary and subject to change.

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