Police helicopter refurbished before crash

ATLANTA -- The police helicopter that crashed, killing two officers on board, had been completely refurbished within the last decade, and though 45 years old, its pilot and maintenance crew were confident it was safe to fly, officials said yesterday.

The Hughes OH-6 chopper went down on a busy city street late Saturday while the officers were searching for a 9-year-old runaway. It hit a power line pole, and part of its landing gear became tangled in cables before it plummeted to the street.

The department had a newer chopper, but Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said the veteran pilot preferred the older model because it was easy to maneuver.

"This is a routine call that an air unit would respond to," said Deputy Chief Renee Propes. He said police helicopters are dispatched for many reasons, including tracking stolen cars, as well as searching for runaways.

The air unit has been temporarily grounded, in part to give fellow officers time to grieve for the pilot, Richard J. Halford, 48, and tactical flight officer Shawn A. Smiley, 40.

The boy, who had run away after being scolded by his mother, was found later, wandering on a city street.

"All I could do was cry because somebody lost their life," the mother, Amire Shakir-Fulford, told station WSB-TV. "I just want to tell their families I'm so sorry." She said she felt responsible for the deaths.

"My child can come home," she added. "They can't go home and hug their children, their wives, their relatives, nobody."