4 in Md. chopper crash had been at charity event By DAVID DISHNEAU

4 in Md. chopper crash had been at charity event By DAVID DISHNEAU

http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/md-helicopter-crash-kills-3-flight-school-workers-99402.html

The Associated Press 11:56 a.m. Friday, July 24, 2009

HAGERSTOWN, Md. — Four people killed when their helicopter crashed on a Maryland highway were returning from an event where they had given helicopter rides to raise money for troubled youth, authorities said Friday.

The helicopter left Hagerstown about two hours after the event ended Thursday night, said Kitty Higgins, a National Transportation Safety Board member. The pilot waited to return to Frederick because of weather. Higgins said the pilot had about 630 hours of flight experience logged.

The pilot and two of the people on board were employees of Frederick, Md.-based Advanced Helicopter Concepts. The fourth person was a friend of theirs, Higgins said. The cause is still unknown.

Witnesses reported seeing the craft flying low when it hit power lines over the interstate, then saw sparks fly before the helicopter went down and burst into flames, Higgins said.

The aircraft was engulfed when firefighters arrived at the scene minutes after receiving a call at 10:30 p.m. Thursday, said Washington County emergency services director Kevin Lewis. No vehicles on the highway were hit when the helicopter smashed into the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70. There were no injuries on the ground.

Read the entire column here: 4 in Md. chopper crash had been at charity event By DAVID DISHNEAU

http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/md-helicopter-crash-kills-3-flight-school-workers-99402.html

The Associated Press 11:56 a.m. Friday, July 24, 2009

20090724 AP 4 in Md chopper crash had been at charity event

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Tentative Identifications Made In I-70 Washington Co. Helicopter Crash

NEWS RELEASE
DEPARTMENT OF
MARYLAND STATE POLICE
HEADQUARTERS: PIKESVILLE, MD 21208
(410)486-3101 TTY For Hearing Impaired (410)486-0677
Toll Free: 1-800-525-5555
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 24, 2009

TENTATIVE IDENTIFICATIONS MADE IN HELICOPTER CRASH

(Boonsboro, MD) – Maryland State Police have made tentative identification of the four victims killed last night when their helicopter crashed along eastbound I-70 in Washington County.

The one female and three male victims are tentatively identified as:

-Kim R. Felix, 48, of the 6700-block of Balmoral Ridge, New Market,
Md;

-Jeffrey D. Nordaas, 24, of the 9700-block of Owen Brown Road,
Columbia, Md;

-Niall R. Y. Booth, 43, of the 6900-block of Meadowpoint Terrace, New
Market, Md;

-George H. Tutor, Jr., 39, of the 100-block of Opal Avenue, Westminster,
Md.

All four victims were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. Their bodies have been transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for autopsies. It is anticipated that positive identification of each of the victims will be made by the medical examiner’s office.

Further details about the cause of the crash, aircraft, origin and destination of the flight should be referred to the National Transportation Safety Board. NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration officials are investigating the cause of the crash.

A Maryland state trooper was eastbound on I-70, east of the Rt. 66 exit, shortly before 10:30 p.m. yesterday when he spotted a fire on the median along the fast lane shoulder of the interstate. He notified the Hagerstown Barracks and immediately requested fire and rescue personnel. Arriving at the scene, the trooper found the burning wreckage to be that of a helicopter.


As rescue units extinguished the fire it was determined high voltage power lines had been downed in the area. For the safety of motorists, troopers closed both east and westbound I-70. With the assistance of the State Highway Administration, detours were set up between Rt. 66 and Rt. 17. Utility workers were summoned to address the downed wires.

Due to the diligent work of rescue personnel and utility workers, the scene was cleared and declared safe for vehicular travel shortly after 5:00 a.m. today. Both east and westbound I-70 was reopened to traffic and is running smoothly.


CONTACT: Greg Shipley
Office of Media Communications
410-653-4236

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