A helicopter trimming trees around power lines Tuesday afternoon crashed in a heavily wooded area near the Waycross- Ware County Airport, said Dee Meadows, Chief of Ware County Fire Rescue.
The aircraft’s single occupant suffered non-life threatening injuries as a result of the crash, which occurred about 12:25 p.m., November 5, Meadows said.
Meadows said when county units arrived on the scene, Ware County EMS already had transported the pilot to Memorial Satilla Health. He didn’t know the extent of the pilot’s injuries.
“He was able to get out by himself,” Meadows said. “There was no fire and we didn’t have to do any type of extraction.” Cause of the crash is pending investigation by the Federal Aviation Association, Meadows said. He said the National Transportation Safety Board also had visited the crash site.
Meadows said the helicopter was believed to be property of Aerial Solutions, a company based in Tabor City, N.C.
A person at Aerial Solutions answered a call Monday morning seeking comment on the incident, but said someone with authority to speak on the matter was unavailable at that time, but would return the call. No call was returned by press time Monday, November 11.
Meadows said the helicopter descended through the tree canopy nose first before coming to rest on its side after impact. It’s front wind shield was not attached to the aircraft when it came to rest.
A representative of the FAA visited the scene Wednesday, November 6, Meadows said.
“He said he’d seen a lot less damage to (helicopters) that came down nose first and had fatalities,” Meadows said of the FAA investigator. “For there to not be a fatality with this was strictly a blessing.”
According to its website, Aerial Solutions pioneered the use of helicopter tree trimming.
Since 1985, utility companies across the country have contracted with Aerial Solutions to reduce and eliminate lateral vegetation encroachment along the rights-of-ways for the utilities, its website said.
The helicopter carries an “airsaw” that’s attached to a cable to perform the vegetation trimming. The device resembles an overside chainsaw.
