Helicopter crashes into Ohio River

[Time Out]

Helicopter crashes into Ohio River

Associated Press
November 11, 2003

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. -- A helicopter crashed into the Ohio River Monday, but fishermen pulled the two people aboard to safety.

The private, two-seat helicopter crashed about 5 p.m. into water 12 feet deep off Six Mile Island near the river bank in Jeffersonville.

Authorities did not know why the helicopter went down, said Sgt. Racheal Lee of the Clark County Sheriff's Department.

The pilot was identified as Randy Powell, 44, of Prospect, Ky. He was taken to University of Louisville Hospital after complaining of difficulty breathing.

The passenger, 34-year-old Casey Dixon of Louisville, was uninjured but was taken to the hospital as a precaution.

The helicopter had taken off from Belterra Casino in Vevay, Ind., about 40 miles southwest of Cincinnati, though its destination could not be confirmed, Lee said.

The Coast Guard closed river traffic in the area but later reopened the navigational channel, said Lt. Steven Garcia, operations officer for the Coast Guard's marine safety office in Louisville.

The Federal Aviation Administration was notified of the crash, Garcia said. Crews will try to pull the helicopter out of the water today.

Source (http://www.indystar.com/articles/7/091731-4717-093.html)

Crashed-Chopper Pilot Being Investigated For Previous Incident
Man's Pilot Certificate Could Be Revoked

A man whose chopper crashed in the Ohio River is being investigated for another incident, WLKY NewsChannel 32 has learned.

Randy Powell, 44, and his friend, Casey Dixon, 34, crashed near Six Mile Island Monday after taking off from the Belterra Casino in Vevay, Ind. Investigators are awaiting toxicology results on the men, who were pulled to safety by fishermen after the crash.

In the meantime, officials said they don't know what caused the chopper to crash, WLKY reported.

Powell, from Prospect, apparently landed near a crowd of about 200 people at Captain's Quarters during the Regatta in September. Several people complained to officials about the stunt, WLKY reported.

"I was startled, and concerned about the patrons who were here that evening," Captain's Quarters spokesman Andrew Masterson said. "I just couldn't believe anybody could have landed a helicopter in such a small spot."

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating that incident, WLKY reported. Powell could lose his pilot's certificate if the FAA finds any criminal wrongdoing.

A decision should be made about Powell's fate in the next couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, the investigation into Monday's incident continues.

Source (http://www.thelouisvillechannel.com/news/2630218/detail.html)

There is also another report here (http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?S=1520643&nav=0RZFJ3NF) but it was all rather speculative and so I decided not to reproduce it here.

[Time Out]

(JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind., December 2nd, 2003, 5 p.m.) -- Both people who were aboard a helicopter when it crashed into the Ohio River last month told police they were at the controls as the aircraft went down. WAVE 3's Dina Kaplan reports.

Two months after Randall Powell caused an uproar by landing too close to an art show Regatta at the Captain's Quarters restaurant in Louisville, his helicopter plunged into the Ohio River. Powell told investigators at the time that he was at the controls when the aircraft crashed on November 10.

Powell, a licensed pilot, said he was returning from the Belterra Casino in Vevay, about 40 miles southwest of Cincinnati, to Bowman Field in Louisville. He said the helicopter lost power because of lack of airspeed and fell into the river.

But investigators also talked to passenger Stacy Nixon, who said she had been at the controls when the crash happened, trying to learn how to fly the helicopter.

Powell acknowledged Nixon had been at the controls earlier in the flight but said she was not flying the helicopter at the time of the crash, a sheriff's report said.

According to the report from the Clark County Sheriff's office, Nixon "stated she was trying to learn how to fly and was handling the controls when the craft crashed."

Powell was seriously injured in the crash and remained hospitalized in intensive care for several days. His condition could have clouded his understanding and influenced his answers to police, said Powell's attorney, John Harralson. "I've had a concussion, and I don't remember anything, so I think it's possible Randy doesn't remember anything about the accident or what happened just prior to it."

The sheriff's report says the fishermen who rescued Powell and Nixon noticed "a whiskey bottle floating in the area where the copter went down."

Harralson says the bottle could have belonged to anyone. "Anybody with any experience with the river knows there is all sorts of debris in the river."

There's still no word on the results of blood alcohol tests. But the report notes "Ms. Nixon was ... observed to have a odor of alcohol on her breath ... and this officer did smell alcohol on Mr. Powell's person."

Powell and Nixon landed at the Belterra Casino hours before the crash. Indiana State Police have told WAVE 3 that Belterra's Director of Security thought Nixon had been drinking, but not Powell.

The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are still investigating. The FAA issued an emergency order several days after the crash revoking Powell's pilot's license.

source (http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?S=1547620&nav=0RZFJR1W)

[PPRUNE FAN#1]

The FAA issued an emergency order several days after the crash revoking Powell's pilot's license.Ah yes, another classic case of the FAA rushing forth to slam the barn door securely shut after the horse has already left the building.

[Autorotate]

He forgot the old motto.

"Dont Drink and Drive - Smoke Dope And Fly Home"

[TheStormyPetrel]

Plea deal reached in helicopter crash
Kentucky pilot gets suspended sentence

By Alex Davis
[email protected]
The Courier-Journal

An Oldham County, Ky., man whose helicopter crashed into the Ohio River two years ago will do 180 hours of community service and undergo alcohol counseling as part of a plea agreement.

Randy Powell told police he was at the controls on Nov. 10, 2003, when his helicopter plunged into the river near the Clark Maritime Center in Jeffersonville. Powell, a 46-year-old businessman, pleaded guilty in Clark Superior Court in Jeffersonville to reckless driving, a Class B misdemeanor.

As part of the deal with prosecutors, Powell's six-month jail sentence will be suspended and he will be on probation for 12 months. Three other misdemeanor counts will be dropped, and he won't be able to reapply for a pilot's license for one year.

After filling out his probation documents yesterday at the City-County Building in Jeffersonville, Powell said in an interview that he was "just glad to get it over."

He said he no longer drinks alcohol but has no objection to the counseling. Scott Roby, one of his Louisville attorneys, said the punishment was fair and added that he was confident his client would not violate probation.

Judge Steve Fleece rejected a similar plea agreement for Powell last month that would have included a guilty plea to criminal recklessness. Paul Clemens, a deputy county prosecutor who worked on the case, said yesterday's deal was similar to last month's but the charge is more appropriate.

"Be wise and don't even consider having any alcohol or drugs when you're flying a helicopter," Clemens said, commenting on the message that the incident sends to the public. "It just kind of seems like common sense."

Powell said he hoped to use his boat-repair business in Oldham County to perform some of the community service. He recently did maintenance work on a boat operated by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and said he provided free labor. He said his company did similar upgrades for an old Coast Guard vessel owned by the police and fire departments in Jeffersonville.

Autorotate, your motto seems to have been most appropriate!

Story taken from here (http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050927/NEWS02/509270359)