In Deadly Baton Rouge Police Helicopter Crash, Investigators Now Say Cause Is Unknown

March 31, 2023

Mar. 30—Federal investigators are now saying the Baton Rouge Police helicopter crash Sunday that killed two officers had an unknown cause — not the tail rotor striking a tree, as they had previously said.

It's unclear when the preliminary report from the Federal Aviation Administration was updated, but it has scrubbed mention of the helicopter's tail rotor striking a tree before crashing upside down in a field near Port Allen.

The crash killed veteran Baton Rouge Police Department pilots Sgt. David Poirrier and Cpl. Scotty Canezaro, who were taking part in a pursuit of a suspect that originated in Baton Rouge.

BRPD announced Thursday that a joint funeral service for the officers will be held Thursday, April 6, at Istrouma Baptist Church, 10500 Sam Rushing Drive. Visitation will be held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., with the service beginning at 11 a.m.

BRPD also said donations are being sought for the families through the nonprofit organization Behind the Line Baton Rouge, and can be made in several ways:

— By check, sent to P.O. Box 2490, Denham Springs, 70727.

— By PayPal at http://paypal.me/btlbr.

— By electronic payment via CashApp, using $Behind the Line.

For any memo or note section, donors can write "Air One," police said.

Why the change is important

Fellow pilots and friends of the two officers questioned the idea that the crash was caused by a tree, arguing there's no way the pilots would have intentionally been flying low enough for that to happen.

The skepticism was reinforced by publicly available flight data that shows the helicopter ascended sharply and seesawed in speed in the moments before a crash.

While it's too soon to say what caused the crash, pilots have suggested it could be mechanical failure or a cloud causing the pilot to become disoriented.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are conducting a more thorough investigation to gather information about what happened leading up to the crash.

Investigators will study data from an onboard flight tracker that broadcasts and records information about an aircraft's location, altitude and ground speed every second, NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson said. Investigators have also removed the wreckage from the scene to study it.

Knudson said the agency's investigation will focus on three areas:

— The licenses, ratings and training activities of the pilots, and information like their activities over the 72 hours before the crash and their sleep history before the incident.

— The aircraft's maintenance and history and any indicators of pre-crash failure.

— The operating environment that morning, meaning the weather and communications.

A preliminary report will be issued in the next two to three weeks, while the full analysis could take a year or two.

The FAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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