Federal investigators said today they’ve ruled out engine failure in the crash of the doomed sightseeing helicopter — the first explanation pilot Paul Dudley reportedly offered after the horrific disaster.
National Transportation Safety Board member Mark Rosekind said investigators examined a tiny, 2-inch magnetic metal plug in the engine that would have been encrusted with debris if the engine failed.
There was nothing on the plug — nor in the engine’s oil — “a good indication of no engine failure,” Rosekind said.
Rosekind said investigators have now questioned Dudley — the interview went for at least three hours — his second time before the NTSB “to find out what happened.”
The investigators were honing in on Dudley’s flight experience, his preflight training, safety briefings, the flight information, his takeoff sequence, his personal pilot log, his certifications, and aircraft records, Rosekind said.
The NTSB member also said more than a dozen investigators involved in the probe are determining if wind played a factor — and if the chopper had more than a total of 3,200 pounds of weight aboard, the maximum the 5-seater would have been allowed.
The board member said it wasn’t clear if Dudley calculated the total weight before takeoff.
Rosekind said Dudley has also been interviewed once by the NYPD. He said the NTSB, however, would continue its probe today and tomorrow — and possibly on Sunday as well.
A preliminary report is due to be released Oct. 12.
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