4 Die as Helicopter Hits Sailing Pavilion

A State Police helicopter crashed through the Harvard Yacht Club building yesterday morning, killing all four passengers, including two state police troopers and two American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T) employees who were working on a state contract.

According to State Police officials, the helicopter took off at approximately 9:30 a.m. from the State Police's helipad on Nashua Street in Boston and was heading for Norwood Airport.

Less than one minute after takeoff, the aircraft plunged 400 feet and fell through the roof of the Yacht Club building, on 45 Memorial Drive, at about 9:33 a.m., said eyewitnesses on the scene yesterday.

Rescuers from MIT's emergency response team, who were training near the crash site, said they were not initially prepared to deal with the wreckage.

"We didn't have any of our equipment with us," said David M. Barber, MIT's utilities construction coordinator. "We just dealt with what was there. There was no time to get equipment; we just acted as best we could on the spot."

All four passengers aboard the eight year-old American-made helicopter were pronounced dead at the scene.

The two state troopers, James Mattaliano, 33, of Sandwich, and Paul A. Perry, 39, of Salem were 12- and 14- year veterans of the State Police, respectively.

Also killed in the crash were longtime AT&T technicians Arthur T. Howell, 47, of Everett and Michael McCarthy, 46, of Weymouth.

"We're in quite a bit of shock. It's been a very difficult year for the State Police," said State Traffic Reporter Grant Moulaison. "Obviously, our hearts go out to their families."

Police officials said yesterday that both troopers were licensed pilots, but it is unclear who was flying the helicopter at the time of the crash.

Mattaliano had been a pilot for one year and Perry had been flying for six years.

And although the crew had communicated with the Logan Airport Control Tower, a distress signal was not transmitted, said Col. Charles Henderson, Superintendent of the State Police, at a press conference yesterday.

Aviation experts speculated that the pilot was attempting to land in the Charles River.

"We are trained to go for the water or for the road," said Dean R. Bennett, chief pilot for the State Police. "If he could not land on the road because of traffic, he would obviously have tried to go in the water."

Bennett said that Memorial Drive was probably congested at the time of the crash, forcing the pilot to head for the river.

Basing his opinion on eyewitness accounts, Bennett said the aircraft probably malfunctioned and lost power to its engines. When this emergency--known as auto-rotation--occurs, the pilot must reverse the angle of the aircraft's propellers and keep the helicopter airborne by forcing air through the engine.

At the time of the crash, the aircraft was heading west towards Cambridge when it suddenly banked to right and fell at a45 degree angle. The rotor was not turning at thetime of impact, observers said.

"I saw it for a blink of an eye, for less thanten seconds," said Barber. "As I turned around, Isaw the tail section hit the roof."

The cause of the crash is being investigated bya host of state and federal agencies, includingthe state police, the National TransportationSafety Board, the Federal Aviation Administration(FAA) and the Massachusetts AeronauticsCommission.

Bennett said the "A" Star 350 "B" AmericanEurocopter was not equipped with a black boxemergency recording device.

The chopper was one of two owned by the statepolice. This model of helicopter has been involvedin 24 accidents since 1983, six of which werefatal, news broadcasts reported yesterday.

The chopper's debris was scattered for at least200 yards around the scene, reaching as far as theisland in the center of Memorial Drive, accordingto Harvard Police Lt. Lawrence J. Murphy, whoarrived on the scene roughly ten minutes after thecrash.

Rescue workers were drawn to the scene by thebuilding's fire alarm which was set off by theimpact, according to Joe Wrinn, acting director ofthe Harvard News Office. "It was that alarm andeyewitness action that got everybody moving," hesaid.

The scattered parts were roped off by policewho waited for an FAA official to inspect thescene.

At approximately 3 p.m., the debris was loadedin two pieces onto a large, flat-bed truck andtaken to a site near Logan Airport where theremains of the helicopter will be examined, Murphysaid.

"We will reconstruct the aircraft piece bypiece," Bennett said. "They should be able to comeup with a good idea of why it crashed."

At a press conference yesterday afternoon, Gov.William F. Weld '66 said he was grieved by thehelicopter crash, which is the first in StatePolice air-team's 26-year history. "This is thefirst accident involving a state policehelicopter," Weld said, speaking at an impromptupress gathering at the Lower Basin policeheadquarters, "We will all work hard to make sureit is the last."

Bennett described the two trooperpilots asdevoted "family men."

Mattaliano is survived by his wife Jennifer, afellow State Police officer whom he met andmarried in August of 1993 while serving onMartha's Vineyard.

The couple recently purchased a home inSandwich, Bennett said.

Perry, who is also anattorney, is survived byhis wife Carol and their two children.

"We are deeply saddened by the death of the twotroopers and the two AT&T employees," Weld said inthe press conference yesterday. "We are remindedagain of the danger state troopers face everyday."

AT&T spokesperson Robin Sayre said yesterdaythat the company spent much of the day with Howelland McCarthy's families.

"The supervisor spent some time this morningnotifying the families and dealing with theirgrief and ours," she said.

Both men would have completed 29 years with thefirm next month.

Weld praised the AT&T technicians, who hadrecently worked at the state house on acommunications contract.

"They were friendly, helpful professionals andour staff worked closely with them," the governorsaid.

Members of Harvard's sailing team reacted withshock upon hearing the news of the crash.

Assistant Sailing Coach Michael O'Connellarrived at the building yesterday morning tosurvey the damage, Wrinn said.

The crash may also impact the upcoming seasonfor the Harvard sailing team. The 4,629 squarefoot building serves as the group's headquarters,storage and training facility.

The team's fleet of 47 fiberglass sailboats,each of which are valued at roughly $5,000 and arehoused in the facility, were not harmed, saidMichael S. Horn '63, the sailing team's headcoach.

"There's a lot of money [here]," Horn said."There's a lot of my life in the building; it'spretty upsetting right now."

Although most of the boats were not damaged,Horn said the team may have to cancel its homemeets because of the building's structural damage.

The crash left a large gash in the western wallof the building. It also partially damaged thebuilding's indoor hoist system, a circularturnstile with which the boats are stored,according to Wrinn.

"The building might be condemned," said teammember Rachel K. Smith '96. "From the outside, itwas an absolute disaster. They wouldn't let us inthere."CrimsonGabriel B. EberTwo firefighters inspect the wreckage.

"I saw it for a blink of an eye, for less thanten seconds," said Barber. "As I turned around, Isaw the tail section hit the roof."

The cause of the crash is being investigated bya host of state and federal agencies, includingthe state police, the National TransportationSafety Board, the Federal Aviation Administration(FAA) and the Massachusetts AeronauticsCommission.

Bennett said the "A" Star 350 "B" AmericanEurocopter was not equipped with a black boxemergency recording device.

The chopper was one of two owned by the statepolice. This model of helicopter has been involvedin 24 accidents since 1983, six of which werefatal, news broadcasts reported yesterday.

The chopper's debris was scattered for at least200 yards around the scene, reaching as far as theisland in the center of Memorial Drive, accordingto Harvard Police Lt. Lawrence J. Murphy, whoarrived on the scene roughly ten minutes after thecrash.

Rescue workers were drawn to the scene by thebuilding's fire alarm which was set off by theimpact, according to Joe Wrinn, acting director ofthe Harvard News Office. "It was that alarm andeyewitness action that got everybody moving," hesaid.

The scattered parts were roped off by policewho waited for an FAA official to inspect thescene.

At approximately 3 p.m., the debris was loadedin two pieces onto a large, flat-bed truck andtaken to a site near Logan Airport where theremains of the helicopter will be examined, Murphysaid.

"We will reconstruct the aircraft piece bypiece," Bennett said. "They should be able to comeup with a good idea of why it crashed."

At a press conference yesterday afternoon, Gov.William F. Weld '66 said he was grieved by thehelicopter crash, which is the first in StatePolice air-team's 26-year history. "This is thefirst accident involving a state policehelicopter," Weld said, speaking at an impromptupress gathering at the Lower Basin policeheadquarters, "We will all work hard to make sureit is the last."

Bennett described the two trooperpilots asdevoted "family men."

Mattaliano is survived by his wife Jennifer, afellow State Police officer whom he met andmarried in August of 1993 while serving onMartha's Vineyard.

The couple recently purchased a home inSandwich, Bennett said.

Perry, who is also anattorney, is survived byhis wife Carol and their two children.

"We are deeply saddened by the death of the twotroopers and the two AT&T employees," Weld said inthe press conference yesterday. "We are remindedagain of the danger state troopers face everyday."

AT&T spokesperson Robin Sayre said yesterdaythat the company spent much of the day with Howelland McCarthy's families.

"The supervisor spent some time this morningnotifying the families and dealing with theirgrief and ours," she said.

Both men would have completed 29 years with thefirm next month.

Weld praised the AT&T technicians, who hadrecently worked at the state house on acommunications contract.

"They were friendly, helpful professionals andour staff worked closely with them," the governorsaid.

Members of Harvard's sailing team reacted withshock upon hearing the news of the crash.

Assistant Sailing Coach Michael O'Connellarrived at the building yesterday morning tosurvey the damage, Wrinn said.

The crash may also impact the upcoming seasonfor the Harvard sailing team. The 4,629 squarefoot building serves as the group's headquarters,storage and training facility.

The team's fleet of 47 fiberglass sailboats,each of which are valued at roughly $5,000 and arehoused in the facility, were not harmed, saidMichael S. Horn '63, the sailing team's headcoach.

"There's a lot of money [here]," Horn said."There's a lot of my life in the building; it'spretty upsetting right now."

Although most of the boats were not damaged,Horn said the team may have to cancel its homemeets because of the building's structural damage.

The crash left a large gash in the western wallof the building. It also partially damaged thebuilding's indoor hoist system, a circularturnstile with which the boats are stored,according to Wrinn.

"The building might be condemned," said teammember Rachel K. Smith '96. "From the outside, itwas an absolute disaster. They wouldn't let us inthere."CrimsonGabriel B. EberTwo firefighters inspect the wreckage.