Troopers: Man killed by rotor in Florida helicopter crash

TAMPA, Fla. – Authorities say a 72-year-old Florida man was killed when the rotor of a helicopter trying to make an emergency landing on a busy highway struck a pickup truck.

The Florida Highway Patrol said the helicopter crashed into a pole while making a hard landing in Tampa on Thursday afternoon.

The agency says Deodat Persaud Gangsapersaud was in a pickup truck being driven by his 35-year-old son Ryan Anthony Persaud when the rotor struck the vehicle. His son wasn’t injured but was taken to the hospital as a precaution.

Troopers say 38-year-old pilot Bryan Messick and 21-year-old co-pilot Joshua Wells weren’t injured.

Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister says Messick was “highly trained” and that the helicopter had just been serviced.

The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.