Final two of five victims in helicopter crash identified

Newlyweds from India were the final two of five victims identified Sunday in last week's deadly sightseeing helicopter crash near Lake Mead.

Anupama Bhola, 26, and her husband, Lovish Bhanot, 28, from New Delhi, had been vacationing in Las Vegas, a county official said.

Clark County Coroner Mike Murphy said he has been in touch with the couple's family who helped identify the couple through medical records.

"It is my understanding that they were married sometime in November in their home country," Murphy said. "They were vacationing in Las Vegas."

The three other victims -- the pilot, 31-year-old Landon Neild of Las Vegas, and 49-year-old passengers Delwin and Tamara Chapman, a Utica, Kan., couple celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary -- were identified by the coroner's office Saturday.

All the victims died from multiple blunt force and thermal injuries in the fiery crash, the coroner's office said.

The aircraft went down about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in a remote rugged canyon west of Lake Mead. The vast crash site was 2.7 square miles in a V-shaped ravine that winds down 30 feet at its deepest point.

Sundance Helicopters Inc., which operated the tour aircraft, enforces a safety management system beyond federal requirements and those policies are under examination, according to National Transportation Safety Board member Mark Rosekind.

Despite that, there were no recording devices on board the helicopter.

The devices are not mandated federally and the helicopter that crashed did not have one. Aircraft recorders can be the most helpful resources determining causes of crashes and are key in issuing recommendations to prevent future accidents, Rosekind said.

An NTSB team at the crash site wrapped up its investigation Saturday. The analysis of what went wrong could take months, but a preliminary report will be available by Dec. 20.

Investigators have determined that the day before it crashed, the AS350 helicopter underwent routine 100-hour flight maintenance, a check that resulted in the engine and two mechanical control devices being replaced because of lifetime limits of the parts, Rosekind said.

He added that when investigators separated the engine wreckage Friday, an initial examination indicated it was producing power at the time of impact. The parts are under review, and France's aviation investigators have been called to help because the aircraft is of French origin.

NTSB has interviewed the pilot's wife and the passengers who flew on the helicopter before it crashed, but the results of those interviews have not been released.

Contact reporter Antonio Planas at
aplanas@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638.