Survivor’s twin asks for prayers

Keith Paul

Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2001 | 11 a.m.

The twin sister of the lone survivor of a fiery helicopter crash near the Grand Canyon described the critically injured woman Monday as "a fighter" trying to recover.

Chana Daskal, a mother of a 5 1/2-year-old boy and 3-month-old boy, remained in critical condition and on life support this morning at University Medical Center as her family maintained a vigil in the hospital. She suffered burns over 80 percent of her body in the Friday crash of a Papillon Grand Canyon tour helicopter that killed her husband, David, four other New York tourists and the pilot.

Brachie Rosenberg, Daskal's identical twin sister, tearfully thanked Las Vegas residents, the hospital staff and friends and family in New York for their support. She said the family remains hopeful for Daskal's recovery.

"God kept her alive. She is fighting the biggest fight of her life," she said. "We believe with help from God and prayers, she will survive. Please pray for a full recovery."

Rosenberg tearfully read a statement during a press conference and then walked over to her mother, Esther Braun, and her older sister, Ruchy Eisdorfer. The three women sobbed and held each other in a hospital hallway near the trauma center where Daskal, 25, is in intensive care.

Daskal's father, Isaac Braun, accompanied David Daskal's body to New York and attended the funeral Monday morning. He then caught a plane back to Las Vegas.

"David was and is a son to us, a brother to us, and will always live in our hearts," Rosenberg said.

After the press conference, Rosenberg said her family remains optimistic about her sister's chances of recovering from her severe injuries.

"She is very strong. She's a fighter. If anyone could do it, she could," Rosenberg said.

The pilot -- Kevin Innocenti, 27, of Henderson -- and five New York residents, all members of the Orthodox Jewish community, were killed Friday afternoon in the helicopter crash. The bodies of the tourists were flown to New York Sunday night for quick burial in accordance with Jewish law.

Avi and Barbara Wajsbaum, Shiya Lichtenstein, and Aryeh Zvi Fastag were the other New York tourists who died.

The helicopter crashed about 2:30 p.m. Friday near Meadview, Ariz., about 60 miles east of Las Vegas.

Standing outside UMC Monday afternoon, Rosenberg smiled briefly as she remembered when she and her twin sister would try to swap identities as children in a familiar game played by identical twins.

"I guess it's something that all twins do," she said.

Her face quickly saddened when she spoke of her sister trying to recover from the devastating injuries. Rosenberg said her family will remain in Las Vegas for "as long as it takes" to be with Daskal.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash, and the lead investigator said Sunday the agency doesn't expect to determine a cause for at least six months.

NTSB officials began their investigation into the crash on Sunday, and planned to interview the only witness to the crash Monday, Jeff Rich, NTSB senior air safety administrator, said.

Mojave County Sheriff's detectives who were at the scene spotted a rock the helicopter may have glanced before crashing, Steve Johnson, a sheriff's office spokesman, said.

"A detective saw this outcropping of rocks that the helicopter may have hit," he said. "We didn't see a lot of impact damage. We saw more fire damage than collision damage."

Three NTSB investigators are going over the wreckage, checking maintenance records and the crash site, Lauren Peduzzi, an NTSB spokeswoman said this morning.

She said the marks on the rocks are the type of evidence investigators photograph and use during the probe of crashes.

Rich said a total of six helicopters from Papillon Grand Canyon helicopters of Las Vegas made the trip to the Grand Canyon Friday. Each carried six tourists and a pilot.