Word: engineeering
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The team of investigators have recovered several key pieces of the aircraft, including its control panel, engine, and tail section, Alan Yarman, lead investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), said at a press conference yesterday.
Nearly all helicopter crashes are the result of engine malfunction which cut off power to the rotor blades, said Robert E. Breiling, an independent contractor who has compiled aircraft safety records since 1963.
When an engine malfunctions, the pilot can keep the craft from plummeting to the ground by forcing air through the engines in a technique known as autorotation, Breiling said.
"It's like with a pinwheel," Breiling said. "When the engine fails, you shift it into neutral, then let the air keep run through the blades and keep it spinning."
Basing his opinion on eyewitness accounts, Bennett said the aircraft probably malfunctioned and lost power to its engines. When this emergency--known as auto-rotation--occurs, the pilot must reverse the angle of the aircraft's propellers and keep the helicopter airborne by forcing air through the engine.