Pilot of Helicopter ‘Did Everything He Could’ to Save Lives

As he lay in serious but stable condition Monday afternoon, city Fire Department helicopter pilot Steven L. Robinson was being labeled a hero for apparently maneuvering his damaged copter away from homes, sparing those on the ground from possible injury or death.

Robinson, 32, an 11-year veteran of the L.A. Fire Department, was at the controls of the Bell 205-A helicopter Monday morning on a rescue mission when it clipped some trees and crashed onto a patch of grass near million-dollar houses in Griffith Park during a rescue operation.

The helicopter apparently lost its tail rotor in flight, making it almost impossible for Robinson to control the aircraft, officials said.

“He was able to turn off the fuel so there was no fire. He did everything he could possibly do before he hit the ground,” said Fire Department spokesman Bob Collis.

“It was just incredible that he managed to engineer it out of the way,” said Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alatorre.

In the quiet neighborhood of Oak Park in an unincorporated area of Ventura County, Robinson’s neighbors gathered outside their neat, red-tile-roofed townhomes to talk about the crash that killed four people but spared Robinson and one other firefighter.

“I get the impression that he’d do just about anything for anybody,” said Jenni Bell, who lives a few doors away from Robinson, his wife Jennifer, and their 5-month-old son Brandon. “I came over a few months ago and he helped me with a problem with my water heater. That’s the kind of guy he is, friendly and always willing to help,” Bell said.

Friends described Robinson as an avid outdoorsman whose passions for surfing, skiing and flying paled only in comparison to his devotion to his wife and young son.

“Steve is a very dedicated fireman and pilot. He loves his job and he was very proud that he was able to get into what is one of the most coveted jobs in the department,” said neighbor Kelly Stage, who has flown with Robinson in the firefighter’s Cessna 152 aircraft. “He’s a good family man and a good neighbor. We just pray that he’s going to be all right.”

Robinson, who Stage said has been flying airplanes since he was a teenager, joined the Fire Department in 1987 and was admitted to the elite pilot squad in 1992. He was certified to fly the Bell helicopter in 1996.

Robinson was listed in serious but stable condition at County-USC Medical Center. He was scheduled to undergo surgery and is expected to make a full recovery, fire officials said.