Police Say No Laws Violated in Fatal Midair Collision

Santa Paula police have completed a criminal investigation of a midair collision in February that killed two people and injured actor Kirk Douglas and have found no violation of state laws by the pilots, authorities said.

Police Chief Walter Adair said Wednesday that his department has finished its inquiry into the crash involving the helicopter carrying Douglas and a small plane as both took off from Santa Paula Airport.

“I haven’t seen anything that indicates there is a violation of law,” Adair said.

The two aircraft collided Feb. 13, killing two Ventura County men in a Pitts stunt plane and injuring three people in the Bell JetRanger helicopter piloted by Noel Blanc, the cartoon voice of some “Looney Tunes” characters. Veteran pilot Lee Manelski, 46, of Santa Paula and his student, 18-year-old David Tomlinson of Thousand Oaks, were killed.

Adair said his conclusion could change when the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration issue a joint report later this year. The NTSB investigates the cause of air crashes, and the FAA determines whether federal regulations were broken by pilots.

But the federal agencies have shared much information with Santa Paula police, and Adair does not expect any surprises in their final report, he said.

“They’ve given us everything except their final analysis,” Adair said.

County prosecutors said they will not end their criminal review until they have studied the final federal report.

If charges were filed against Blanc, they could range from manslaughter, in which gross pilot negligence would have to be shown, to flying in a careless or reckless manner and endangering life, Deputy Dist. Atty. Gregory D. Totten said.

NTSB investigator Thomas Wilcox said his report on the crash might not be issued for several months.

So far, neither Blanc nor passenger Michael Carra, a Beverly Hills police officer who also is a licensed helicopter pilot, have agreed to answer questions about the crash, Wilcox said.

“I can’t go any further with this until I get Blanc’s or Carra’s statement,” the investigator said. “I’ll wait a reasonable amount of time and if I don’t get their statements, the report will be completed without them.”

Only Douglas was interviewed by police, Adair said. Blanc and Carra refused to answer questions on the advice of their attorneys, Adair said.

Patrick Bailey, attorney for Blanc, said his client has not decided whether to answer questions from federal investigators. But he said, “I would concur with Chief Adair’s conclusions” about lack of criminal conduct by Blanc.

While finding no criminal activity, Adair said the actions of both Blanc and the small plane’s pilot may have contributed to the crash.

“There are a lot of things that come into consideration as far as common sense is concerned . . . that went into this accident,” said Adair, who is a pilot and has flown out of Santa Paula Airport for 30 years.

For example, it is normal procedure for helicopters to head south over the Santa Clara riverbed after lifting off the helipad. But Blanc flew north over the airport’s only runway and into the path of the Pitts plane that was taking off with Manelski and his student.

Taking off over the river is “normal procedure, but there is nothing that required Blanc to do that,” Adair said. The Pitts did have the right of way because it was on the runway first, he added.

Manelski also would have been wise to announce his position and intention to take off, but apparently did not, the police chief said. “Again there is no requirement to announce your position at an uncontrolled airport.”

At small, uncongested airports where there is no control tower, radio communication between planes is normal but optional, he said. Planes are not even required to have a radio.

At least two other factors also may have contributed to the crash, the police chief said.

Several airplanes were parked between the helipad and the runway, obstructing the view of both pilots, he said. And the Pitts high-performance aircraft is designed so that its engine cowling blocks the ground-level view of pilots because the plane’s tail sits so low.

The plane and the helicopter collided at an elevation of 10 to 35 feet, Adair said.