Hero Pilot In Delco Helicopter Crash Identified

DREXEL HILL, PA — Fifty-two-year-old Daniel Moore better get ready for a lifetime of praise.

Moore has been identified by multiple news sources as the hero pilot who brought down a helicopter without causing serious injury or property damage in Delaware County this week.

The crash occurred at about 12:55 p.m. Tuesday at Burmont Road and Bloomfield Avenue, outside Drexel Hill United Methodist Church.

Moore was flying a Eurocopter EC135 medical helicopter owned by Air Methods with three others onboard, including a 2-month-old infant being transported to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports the helicopter left Hagerstown, Maryland at 10:29 a.m. Tuesday and stopped at a hospital in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. It left for Philadelphia at 12:05 p.m. and at about 12:50 p.m. it started experiencing issues, forcing the pilot to bring it down as safely as possible.

"An absolute miracle in Drexel Hill," State Rep. Mike Zabel said.

Moore was the only person on the aircraft to suffer injuries requiring hospitalization.

Fox 29 reports Moore is still recovering.

Moore's father told the outlet his son has nearly three decades of helicopter flight experience and has worked in the public and private sectors as a pilot.

Delaware County Thursday released audio of a 911 call from the crash scene.

"Everybody is conscious" the call told the dispatcher. "I have one that is not alert. He's a pilot."

The caller said their main concern was the child, who was taken to CHOP in an ambulance.

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation and will provide additional updates.