AP source: Bag may have hit fuel switch before chopper crash
NEW YORK — A pilot who survived a helicopter crash that killed his five passengers told authorities he believed a passenger’s bag might have hit an emergency fuel shutoff switch in the moments before the chopper went down, a federal official told The Associated Press on Monday.
The official was briefed on the investigation but was not authorized to speak publicly about it and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it would look at the switch, the chopper’s flotation devices and even the photos on passengers’ cameras to figure out what caused the crash Sunday in the East River.
NTSB member Bella Dinh-Zarr said the agency hasn’t spoken to the pilot but hopes to do so.