The manner in which a helicopter fell in a crash that killed the governor of Puebla was described today as unusual by federal transportation officials.
The Italian-made Agusta helicopter plunged almost vertically and upside down on December 24, killing Martha Erika Alonso, her husband the ex-governor, an assistant and two pilots.
“Yes, it was unusual, it was not normal [and] it is one of the things that catches the eye,” said transportation undersecretary Carlos Alfonso Morán Moguel.
The fall was “almost vertical, at 60 degrees, and furthermore inverted,” he said.
Another unusual factor was that the heads of several bolts on the main rotor had had their heads sheared off, but investigators have concluded that the impact of the aircraft hitting the ground was the cause.
Transportation Secretary Javier Jiménez Espriú said the cause of the accident remains unknown. The investigation has not been able to determine if it was a mechanical failure, human error or weather.
Authorities are now waiting for the results of studies of various components of the helicopter that are being carried out in Italy, the United States and Canada.
Source: Milenio (sp), Reforma (sp)
