Helicopter makes emergency landing on golf course
The Chicago Fire Department said that a helicopter made a controlled landing due to mechanical issues on a South Side golf course on Monday.
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CHICAGO (WBBM) — A wild scene Monday afternoon after a sightseeing helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing on a South Side golf course.
The Chicago Fire Department said that a helicopter made a controlled landing due to mechanical issues at the Jackson Park Golf Course, located at 6401 S. Stony Island Ave, around 6 p.m.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it appears the helicopter pilot smelled a burning odor while conducting a tour, felt a vibration in the tail boom, and then heard and felt clicking.
“The pilot subsequently made an emergency landing on the Jackson Park Golf Course. The tail boom sustained substantial damage,” an NTSB spokesperson said in an email.
With it being a gorgeous day, there were lots of golfers out here who saw this all play out.
It was Steve Augustave and Fitzgerald Craan’s first round of the season, and it was the first time they saw a scene like this.
“It was a different kind of birdy,” Augustave said.
The two said a white helicopter landed on hole 16 right as they teed off 17.
“We saw this helicopter falling from the sky. As it was falling, it was kind of losing power,” Millaun Brown said.
Brown said he called 911 and went up to the three people who got out of the chopper.
“Two people were a couple, and the other guy was the driver, and I told him he did an excellent job controlling the helicopter,” he said.
Golfers say about eight Chicago police cars pulled up on the course, and EMS assisted those on board. They credit the pilot for landing in an open field, avoiding trees and people.
“This is probably the safest place to land, on an open field, as opposed to on the expressway,” Craan said.
The NTSB and Federal Aviation Administraiton were investigating the cause of the accident. A preliminary report will be made public within 30 days.
The helicopter is registered with a tour company called SummerSkyz Incorporated out of Lansing, Illinois.
The agency did not comment on the incident.
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