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| New York teenager killed operating remote-control helicopter | New York teenager killed operating remote-control helicopter |
| (12 days later) | |
| A teenager was killed when he was truck by the remote-control helicopter he was flying. | A teenager was killed when he was truck by the remote-control helicopter he was flying. |
| Roman Pirozek Jr, 19, was pronounced dead at a Brooklyn park. Initial reports suggested he was killed by the helicopter's blade, police said. | Roman Pirozek Jr, 19, was pronounced dead at a Brooklyn park. Initial reports suggested he was killed by the helicopter's blade, police said. |
| The accident occurred in Calvert Vaux Park, where operating remote-control helicopters is allowed in designated areas. A club for hobbyists, the Seaview Rotary Wings Helicopter Club, flies its aircraft from a field there. | The accident occurred in Calvert Vaux Park, where operating remote-control helicopters is allowed in designated areas. A club for hobbyists, the Seaview Rotary Wings Helicopter Club, flies its aircraft from a field there. |
| Pirozek's father, Roman Pirozek, is a vice-president of the club. He and other club members did not return messages seeking comment Thursday. | Pirozek's father, Roman Pirozek, is a vice-president of the club. He and other club members did not return messages seeking comment Thursday. |
| Police said they did not suspect any criminal act was involved in the teenager's death. They didn't immediately release the model and make of the helicopter he was flying. | Police said they did not suspect any criminal act was involved in the teenager's death. They didn't immediately release the model and make of the helicopter he was flying. |
| In a YouTube video posted in July by someone named Roman Pirozek Jr, a T-Rex 700N DFC is shown flying at high speeds in lateral and vertical jolts. | In a YouTube video posted in July by someone named Roman Pirozek Jr, a T-Rex 700N DFC is shown flying at high speeds in lateral and vertical jolts. |
| That particular make is on the larger side of remote-control helicopters, said Rich Hanson, spokesman for the Indiana-based Academy of Model Aeronautics, a membership group of hobbyists. | That particular make is on the larger side of remote-control helicopters, said Rich Hanson, spokesman for the Indiana-based Academy of Model Aeronautics, a membership group of hobbyists. |
| Hanson said the helicopter has an almost 4.5ft wingspan and can reach speeds of up to 60mph, but is used primarily for tricky, acrobatic maneuvers. | Hanson said the helicopter has an almost 4.5ft wingspan and can reach speeds of up to 60mph, but is used primarily for tricky, acrobatic maneuvers. |
| "Flying a RC helicopter is one of the more difficult aircraft to operate," he said. "There are really two common reasons one might go out: pilot error or equipment failure." | "Flying a RC helicopter is one of the more difficult aircraft to operate," he said. "There are really two common reasons one might go out: pilot error or equipment failure." |
| Pirozek's death, Hanson said, likely is only the second ever caused by a remote-control helicopter in the United States. He said some years ago an instructor in Texas was killed by a remote-control helicopter after the student he was teaching lost control of it. | Pirozek's death, Hanson said, likely is only the second ever caused by a remote-control helicopter in the United States. He said some years ago an instructor in Texas was killed by a remote-control helicopter after the student he was teaching lost control of it. |
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