ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The lone survivor of a New Mexico helicopter crash last month that killed five people, including key Zimbabwean opposition leader Roy Bennett, recalls that the aircraft hit the ground with a loud bang before rolling forward and coming to a stop upside down.
Andra Cobb, of Texas, also says the wreck ignited a fire that set off explosions in the moments after the crash on a grassy plain east of Raton. Her account was detailed in a National Transportation Safety Board report released Tuesday.
The preliminary report does not indicate what may have caused the crash. A full investigative report isn't expected for months.
Authorities say the crash claimed the lives of Bennett, his wife, Heather, wealthy businessman Charles Burnett III, pilot Jamie Coleman Dodd and co-pilot Paul Cobb.