Helicopter crashes at Kings Park High School
From Newsday.com, with photo:
A small helicopter that had taken off from Long Island MacArthur Airport for White Plains this morning crashed on a soccer field at Kings Park High School, officials said.
Two White Plains men -- the pilot and a student pilot -- aboard the craft suffered minor injuries and about 600 students from the school's west wing were evacuated for a brief time after the incident, officials said.
The two men were taken to Stony Brook University Hospital, officials said. No students were injured.
School officials were expecting a visit from a Coast Guard admiral for a discussion on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and staff who had been assembled for that event were able to quickly respond to the helicopter crash. The admiral later arrived by car amid an active emergency scene.
Officials and witnesses said the helicopter had lost power before it crashed, nearly missing a flag pole and a school awning as it clipped a fence on the soccer field. The aircraft's propeller hit the ground, forcing the helicopter to crash on its side.
An off-duty New York City firefighter pulled the two people from the helicopter, said Dr. Mary DeRose, superintendent of the Kings Park School District.
"It came very close to the school," said Dr. Mary DeRose, superintendent of the Kings Park School District. "Fortunately, it didn't hit the building. I am just grateful no kids were outside."
