Pilot Who Survived Copter Crash Leaves Hospital

VAN NUYS —  The pilot of a helicopter that crashed at Van Nuys Airport after covering the Academy Awards was released Tuesday from Northridge Hospital Medical Center, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Kris Kelley, 33, of Thousand Oaks, suffered arm, head and leg injuries in the March 26 crash in which a rival TV helicopter team rescued her and her cameraman, Phil Arno, 50, of Chatsworth.

Arno is in good condition but will remain hospitalized under observation until next week. He is expected to undergo rehabilitation of a shattered ankle.

Also Tuesday, the Los Angeles City Council and County Board of Supervisors honored three men who helped rescue the pair from the wreckage and the fire that followed the crash.

“These are real true-life heroes,” said Councilwoman Laura Chick, who handed out resolutions to KCBS-TV Channel 2 cameraman Aaron Fitzgerald, KCAL-TV Channel 9 helicopter pilot Larry Welk and Van Nuys Airport Police Officer Carl Sansbury.

A preliminary report on the helicopter crash, released Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board, found that a video camera aboard the copter had recorded the event.

A 5-second horn blast could be heard on the videotape just as the aircraft lost total hydraulic pressure while hovering over the Academy Awards ceremony at the Shrine Auditoriums, according to the NTSB report.

Van Nuys Airport and NTSB officials said Kelley did not declare an emergency, and no emergency vehicles or crews were notified that the disabled helicopter was coming in for an emergency landing.