Bystanders who heard a helicopter lose control and crash into nearby woods in central New Hampshire ran towards the crash site and pulled its pilot from the burning wreckage, police said Sunday.
The aircraft went down on Saturday afternoon with just the pilot onboard, a press release from the Danbury police department said, causing a fire in the aircraft which began to spread through the woods.
The pilot was able to partially remove himself from the aircraft before a number of witnesses who heard the crash rushed to the scene and were able to remove the pilot completely, rendering aid until emergency services arrived. Once authorities arrived, the fire was extinguished and the pilot, who has not been identified, was transported to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center with “serious but non life-threatening injuries.”
“The witnesses actions were instrumental in saving the solo occupant’s life,” the police statement read.
A statement from the New Hampshire State police said an initial investigation indicates “the helicopter pilot lost control near a landing site and crashed into the wood line of [a] residential property.”
The pilot was “conscious, breathing and alert.”
The crash will be fully investigated by NTSB and the FAA.
