NTSB report reveals new details in helicopter crash after Hurricane Ian

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its final report on a helicopter crash that occurred in Iona, Florida, shortly after Hurricane Ian.

The crash involved a private helicopter with four passengers on board, who were flying back from Useppa Island after installing Starlink satellite equipment as part of hurricane rescue and recovery services.

According to the NTSB, the pilot, Steve Mezyniesky, who owned the helicopter, was approaching a landing zone at Fire Station 75 in Fort Myers to drop off the other three passengers, John Meyer, Tim Wells and Rob McGilloway, who was the Chief of the Useppa Island Fire District.

About 150 feet above the ground, the pilot noticed flags near the landing zone and elected to go around to make another approach to better align with the light wind.

As the pilot added power to initiate the go-around, there was a “bump and dip” in the tail, followed by severe and massive vibration and shaking of the helicopter, with an uncommanded left yaw.

The helicopter impacted the ground near the landing zone, resulting in serious injuries to everyone on board.

The aircraft crashed outside of the LCSO west district substation.

According to Carlos Cavenago, a personal injury attorney representing two of the victims on board the helicopter, his clients now experience post-traumatic stress disorder.

One of the other victims is a ventilator-dependent quadriplegic.

Details in the report

One chilling aspect of the report is details about a video recorded by a passenger that captured a final portion of the flight.

The video, analyzed by the NTSB, shows the helicopter moving toward the crash site.

At one point, the wind direction, relative to the helicopter’s nose, indicated a right, quartering tailwind.

The video then shows the helicopter beginning to yaw to the right, with the right yaw accelerating until the helicopter completed a full rotation to the right before crashing.

One victim told the NTSB that he believed he was going to die when the pilot lost control.

In the report, a victim recalled what he remembered from the crash.

“Saw that his head was gushing out blood like a water hose. I said, ‘He’s dead. Tim is dead.'”

Wells wrote that he felt “a lot of blood” coming from his head.

First responders

Reports from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office say employees inside the nearby LCSO west district substation heard the crash from inside the district.

The reports mention that several members of the district rushed to the scene, where they saw two victims, both bleeding, trying to get out of the aircraft.

The reports say those who responded to the crash, had to physically pull the helicopter off of one of the victims, who was stuck underneath and appeared not to be breathing.

Three victims were taken to the hospital by ambulance. One was airlifted.

NTSB findings

Despite the substantial damage to the helicopter, the NTSB found no evidence of a preexisting mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation.

The report talks about the hazards related to the loss of tail rotor effectiveness in helicopters, particularly at low airspeeds.

In a phone conversation, the attorney representing two passengers on board mentioned that his clients are involved in a lawsuit filed in Texas because of issues regarding the functioning of the helicopter.

WINK News Anchor Emma Heaton got her hands on the lawsuit, which also alleges the pilot was negligent in piloting the helicopter, that the manufacturer failed to use proper and safe aircraft service and that the helicopter is defective.