Helicopter crash kills one person onboard in Tennessee, officials say
Officials say they are investigating a helicopter crash that killed one person in Tennessee on Wednesday, Dec. 29.
The Federal Aviation Administration told McClatchy News in an email that the Robinson R44 helicopter crashed early in the afternoon east of the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport in Sevierville, which is about about 18 miles north of Gatlinburg and near the North Carolina state line.
The helicopter crashed in a “heavily wooded area” about 8 minutes after departing from the airport, Peter Knudson, a spokesperson for the National Transportation Safety Board, said. The NTSB does not yet know where the helicopter was headed.
Two people were onboard the helicopter, the FAA said.
Officials told local outlets WVLT and WBIR that the pilot was killed in the crash and that a passenger was injured.
Knudson said Thursday, Dec. 30, that it’s too early to determine what caused the helicopter to crash. The FAA said it will investigate the crash along with the NTSB.
McClatchy News reached out to the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office for more information on the crash but has not received a response as of 3:15 p.m. Dec. 30.
Tom and Barb Reau told local outlet WATE they saw the helicopter go down near their home.
“We had our window open, I was sitting over in the chair, and we heard the struggling engine” Barb Reau told WATE. “And then all of a sudden he looked at me and said ‘oh my gosh it’s going down.’”
Brandi Proffitt, who lives in the area, also described witnessing the crash to WBIR.
“I was in my bedroom with the sliding glass door open to my balcony, and I heard a helicopter that was very, very low to the ground,” Proffitt said. “Just minutes later, first responders were flying by the house.
This story was originally published December 30, 2021 at 2:29 PM with the headline "Helicopter crash kills one person onboard in Tennessee, officials say."
