Monday, September 11, 2017 09:04PM
MEDFORD, N.J. (WPVI) -- We are learning more details about the helicopter crash in Burlington County, New Jersey that killed country music star Troy Gentry and the pilot.
The crash happened on Friday in Medford. Gentry, part of the popular duo "Montgomery Gentry," was scheduled to perform there that night.
The 30-year-old pilot, Evan Robinson, was giving Gentry an aerial tour when something went wrong.
On Monday, audio from first responders was released.
"About to make an emergency landing. Apparently he's hovering right now waiting for the fire department to arrive," one responder is heard to say.
The helicopter fell from the sky and into a field just south of the airport.
"Confirm. Did it crash? That's affirmative," a first responder said.
Troy Gentry killed in NJ helicopter crash. Jeff Chirico reports during Action News at 11 p.m. on September 8, 2017.
Robinson and Gentry were the only two people on board. Friends believe the crash must have been caused by a mechanical problem, because Robinson was a talented young pilot.
"He was an amazing young man. He was full of life," said Patti Dole, a friend of Robinson's.
Local authorities say incidents like these do happen, but they are unusual.
"There have been a handful of accidents in time that I've been here, over 22 years. Very often, thank goodness, not fatal. I believe we've had one or two here over the past few decades, but it's not a common occurrence," said Chief Richard Meder of Medford Twp. Police.
A public memorial for Troy Gentry has been scheduled for Thursday at the Grand Ol' Opry in Tennessee.
Back here in New Jersey, Robinson is being remembered as a true gentleman with a passion for flying.
"Every time you asked him how he was doing? 'I'm living the dream.' That's what he'd say," said Dole. "This tragedy shouldn't happen to someone so young and so talented and so caring. Very sad for all of us."
A preliminary report on the crash is expected in the new few days from the NTSB, but a full report won't be out until sometime late next year.
======================
An investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board offered a few comments that explain Troy Gentry’s fatal helicopter crash on Friday (Sept. 8).
An invitation to take a helicopter ride was a “impromptu, spur of the moment” decision says Brian Rayner, speaking to People. The pilot was 30-year-old James Evan Robinson, described as a man who loved his job. Gentry was set to perform a Montgomery Gentry show on Friday night in Medford, N.J.
“Not long after takeoff, the pilot announced over the airport frequency — which was being monitored by a number of people — that he was having difficulty controlling engine RPM,” Rayner says. “A couple of different responses to that challenge were discussed, and he was performing an auto rotational descent to runway one.”
According to several sites including the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, an auto-rotational descent is when a helicopter hovers to the ground with no engine power. Upward force of the wind on the blades causes the rotors to spin.
Robinson crash landed the helicopter short of the runway in a swampy area. There was substantial damage and both men were killed — Robinson at the scene and Gentry after he was transported to a nearby hospital.
Rayner also shared how further investigation will work, giving some sort of timeline of events and malfunctions. A preliminary report will be issued early next week, while the full report on the crash make take a year or longer to compile.
Robinson worked for Helicopter Flight Services, an FAA-approved helicopter flight school. People reports that he’d held his commercial pilot’s license since 2015.
===========================
2 dead after helicopter crashes near runway at South Jersey airport
Updated on September 8, 2017
By Amanda Hoover
For NJ.com
UPDATE: Troy Gentry, of the country duo Montgomery Gentry, was killed in the crash.
MEDFORD, NJ -- Two people are dead after a helicopter crashed at the Flying W Airport Friday afternoon, officials said.
The helicopter, a Schweizer 269, crashed into a wooded area off of Runway 1 at the airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Medford Township Police Chief Richard Meder said police got a call about a "helicopter that was distressed" around 1 p.m.
"Shortly after our arrival the helicopter did go down. It went into a field south of the airport," Meder said.
The helicopter had taken off from Flying W Airport and was trying to land when it became distressed, he said.
Meder said the occupants were adult males, but he did not release any other details about them. He did not know if they were affiliated with Helicopter Flight Services, a helicopter flying school located at the airport.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash, which Meder said cause significant damage to the aircraft.
He said emergency crews were able to free one of the occupants, but that man died from his injuries after being taken to Virtua Hospital Marlton. The driver was pronounced dead in the helicopter and emergency crews will work to extricate his body while the investigation continues, Meder said.
Meder said police are also interviewing many witnesses who were at the airport and saw the lead-up to the crash. Fostertown Road was closed to traffic at 3:15 p.m. and Meder said the investigation would continue there for at least several more hours.
While Meder was speaking with reporters in a parking lot off of Fostertown Road, several vehicles pulled up with obviously distraught drivers and passengers, hugging one another and speaking with police. It was not clear if they were family members or friends of those involved in the crash.
A helicopter flying over the scene around 1:30 p.m. showed emergency personnel at the small airport with several fire trucks, police vehicles and ambulances. A helicopter resting in a grassy area was covered with a red tarp.
A spokesperson at the airport declined to comment on the crash.
A Montgomery Gentry concert scheduled to take place at the airport and resort was canceled Friday afternoon, the airport announced.
====================
Montgomery Gentry Band Member Dies In Helicopter Crash In Burlington County September 8, 2017 11:05 PM
MEDFORD, N.J. (CBS/AP) — A member of a popular country band was one of two people who were killed in a helicopter crash in Burlington County, New Jersey on Friday afternoon.
The pilot, 30-year-old James Evan Robinson, declared an emergency and was trying to land the helicopter on approach when they crashed around 12:30 p.m. in a wooded area on Fostertown Road in Medford at the airport.
Troy Gentry, 50, half of the country duo Montgomery Gentry, was extricated from the helicopter and transported to Virtua Marlton Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
Robinson, who had just recently moved to Medford Township, was pronounced dead on the scene. Robinson was a native of Meigs Georgia and was a helicopter pilot at the Flight School located at the Flying W Airport.
Musician Troy Gentry of Montgomery Gentry speaks at the Red Carpet Radio presented by Westwood One Radio during the 50th Academy Of Country Music Awards at Arlington Convention Center’s Grand Hall on April 17, 2015 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Mike Windle/Getty Images for dcp)
“It is with great sadness that we confirm that Troy Gentry, half of the popular country duo, Montgomery Gentry, was tragically killed in a helicopter crash which took place at approximately 1:00 p.m. today in Medford, New Jersey,” the band said in a statement.
The statement continues, “Troy Gentry’s family wishes to acknowledge all of the kind thoughts and prayers, and asks for privacy at this time.”
One individual was found dead at the scene and the other was transported to Virtua Marlton and pronounced dead at the hospital.
The Federal Aviation Administration says that it was a Schweitzer 269 helicopter that crashed.
Robinson was giving Gentry a tour of the area with the country band playing a concert at the resort attached to the airport tonight. That concert has been cancelled.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating the crash.
Gentry was born on April 5, 1967, in Lexington, Kentucky, where he met bandmate Eddie Montgomery and formed a group based off their last names.
Montgomery Gentry had success on the country charts and country radio in the 2000s, scoring No. 1 hits with “Roll With Me,” ”Back When I Knew It All,” ”Lucky Man,” ”Something to Be Proud Of” and “If You Ever Stop Loving Me.” Some of the songs even cracked the Top 40 on the pop charts.
The band mixed country music with Southern rock. It was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2009. The group released their debut album, “Tattoos & Scars,” in 1999.
Gentry is survived by his wife and two children.
=====
Date: 08-SEP-2017
Time: c13:30 LT
Type:
Schweizer 269C
Owner/operator: Private
Registration: N2091E
C/n / msn: S1837
Fatalities: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Other fatalities: 0
Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: Flying W Airport, Medford, NJ -
United States of America Phase: Approach
Nature: Private
Departure airport:
Destination airport: Flying W Airport (N14)
Narrative:
The helicopter crashed in a wooded area near runway 1 at the Flying W Airport, Medford, NJ.
According to media reports the pilot had reported a stuck throttle and was hovering to give emergency crews time to get to the scene before attempting a hard landing when the helicopter suddenly dropped to the ground.
The pilot died at the scene while country music star Troy Gentry, who was due to perform at an airport venue that evening, died later at a local hospital.
Sources:
http://www.courierpostonline.com/story/news/local/south-jersey/2017/09/08/helicopter-crashes-lumberton-airport/646542001/
http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2017/09/08/medford-helicopter-crash/
http://www.nj.com/burlington/index.ssf/2017/09/helicopter_down_at_south_jersey_airport.html
https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2017/09/08/troy-gentry-montgomery-gentry-duo-killed-helicopter-crash/647368001/
http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Helicopter-Crashes-in-Burlington-County-New-Jersey-443269833.html
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2017/09/troy_gentry_fatal_crash_what_we_know_dont_know.html
http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N2091E