http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/news/121...elicopter.html
Helicopter Makes Emergency Landing on Roof LOS ANGELES — A helicopter pilot tried to land on the roof of a downtown high-rise due to an "in-flight emergency" today, but the craft missed the heliport and landed hard on the roof, a fire official said.
The two men aboard the two-seat Robinson R-22 were uninjured and there was no fire, but the chopper was seriously damaged, said Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Fire crews were called to the 54-story Wells Fargo building at 333 S. Grand Ave. about 10:15 a.m., said Humphrey.
"There was some type of in-flight emergency," said Humphrey. "The pilot attempted to land on the rooftop heliport, but he missed the heliport and the helicopter impacted the rooftop.""The pilot stated that he suspected something was wrong with the design of the rotorhead after seeing some posts on a "pilots' rumour network" on the internet." "I was flying along and everything was fine, then I suddenly had this thought- what if the coning hinges don't really work the way Robinson says they do and the rotorhead decides to go divergent on me right at this moment?" "I'd better make a precautionary landing and ask Dave Jackson if he thinks its safe to continue."
The hard landing left the tail section of the craft twisted and the fuselage damaged.
There was no obvious damage to the roof, said Humphrey.
Fire crews were sent to the 723-foot building -- the seventh tallest in Los Angeles -- after getting a call from security personnel there, he said.
The hard landing will be investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Humphrey said the helicopter is 15 years old.
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