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Pilot Injured in Augusta Helicopter Crash
http://www.nbc29.com/Global/story.asp?S=10464031
A helicopter conducting tree-trimming work in Augusta County crashed Tuesday morning, injuring the pilot. It happened around 11:30 a.m. off Cold Springs Road near Greenville.
The pilot, Brian Lacks, 41, of Arlington, Tennessee, was clearing brush along powerlines for Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative (SVEC) near the co-op's Cold Springs substation. The Hughes 369D chopper crashed while landing, according to Virginia State Police Sgt. Scott VanLear.
"It seems like the pilot was going for fuel, at which time he lost all power for whatever reason," VanLear said. "That's still under investigation--as to why he lost all power. It's a fairly clean crash."
A rescue crew airlifted Lacks to the University of Virginia Medical Center, where he's in fair condition.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the wreck.
Aerial Solutions, a North Carolina-based company, owns the helicopter. According to the company, the pilot was doing contract work for SVEC when the helicopter crashed.
A search through National Transporation Safety Board records shows the company had three other accidents since 2001 involving this same helicopter model. All three were on tree-trimming missions. None were fatal crashes.
http://www.nbc29.com/Global/story.asp?S=10464031
A helicopter conducting tree-trimming work in Augusta County crashed Tuesday morning, injuring the pilot. It happened around 11:30 a.m. off Cold Springs Road near Greenville.
The pilot, Brian Lacks, 41, of Arlington, Tennessee, was clearing brush along powerlines for Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative (SVEC) near the co-op's Cold Springs substation. The Hughes 369D chopper crashed while landing, according to Virginia State Police Sgt. Scott VanLear.
"It seems like the pilot was going for fuel, at which time he lost all power for whatever reason," VanLear said. "That's still under investigation--as to why he lost all power. It's a fairly clean crash."
A rescue crew airlifted Lacks to the University of Virginia Medical Center, where he's in fair condition.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the wreck.
Aerial Solutions, a North Carolina-based company, owns the helicopter. According to the company, the pilot was doing contract work for SVEC when the helicopter crashed.
A search through National Transporation Safety Board records shows the company had three other accidents since 2001 involving this same helicopter model. All three were on tree-trimming missions. None were fatal crashes.
