Another one down - thankfully no fatalities:
Investigators with the FAA are on their way to the scene of a helicopter accident in Newport Wednesday morning.
Newport Police Chief Maurice Shults says the pilot was throttling up to take off when something in the main rotor broke. It sheared off the top of the canopy, and the tail of the helicopter struck the ground, damaging the tail rotor. The pilot has minor scratches, but is in good shape.
Shults says debris from the helicopter did hit the Holiday Express hotel that is nearby. It damaged the siding, but did not penetrate the building.
According to officials on the scene, the pilot is 21 years old. He is a TVA contractor who has been flying for 3 years. He was going up to spray weed control along powerline paths. He is employed by B&S Air, Inc. based in Lumpkin, Georgia. He had been staying at the hotel, and using the nearby field to park the helicopter.
WBIR.com | Knoxville, TN | Helicopter crashes near motel in Newport, no one injured