Bob Collins
The National Transportation Safety Board has concluded its investigation into last June’s fatal crash of a helicopter in Maplewood and determined it doesn’t know why the crash happened.
Michael Kramer of St. Charles, Minn., was killed while spraying for mosquitoes in the area when his helicopter crashed into a garage.
In its final report, the NTSB indicated the helicopter appeared to be working fine when the crash occurred, reporting “no malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.” The weather was typical of a perfect day in June with light winds.
Investigators retrieved a GPS which tracked the final flight and found nothing to indicate the helicopter had experienced a problem up until the point where it plunged into the Maplewood neighborhood.
It had taken off from Flying Cloud Airport in Eden Prairie and was spraying near 3M Lake at the time of the crash.
