The National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report on a helicopter crash along the North Carolina coast last month that killed two Virginia men says the helicopter was seen landing in a field and taking off again before the crash. The NTSB says the helicopter was destroyed July 19 when it crashed in the Albemarle Sound, killing the pilot and passenger. About an hour after the helicopter refueled in Virginia, a witness in North Carolina reported seeing a helicopter land in a field about a half-mile from the shoreline, then take off toward Albemarle Sound. Review of weather about the time of the crash revealed areas of widespread light to heavy precipitation.