Helicopter Crash in Medford, NJ

Two people were killed on Friday, September 8, 2017, following the crash of a Schweizer 269 helicopter in a wooded area near a runway of the Flying W Airport in Medford, NJ. Pilot and helicopter instructor, James Evan Robinson from Moultrie, GA, and passenger, country music star Troy Gentry from Louisville, KY, both died as a result of injuries suffered in the crash.

The cause of the crash is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and local law enforcement. Medford Township Police Chief Richard Meder said that authorities got a call of a “distressed” helicopter around 1 p.m. Emergency vehicles were able to respond and be on the scene at the time of the crash. One first responder told news media that “[A]s it made its approach, it dropped suddenly.” Another witness told reporters that “Evan’s up with the lead singer and the throttle stuck.”

Kreindler attorneys, many of whom are former military pilots, have extensive experience litigating helicopter crash cases, including cases involving the Schweizer helicopter. Kreindler attorneys recently secured a significant confidential settlement against Schweizer Aircraft Corporation and Lycoming Engines in a lawsuit arising out of the 2009 crash of a Schweizer 269C helicopter.

Earlier this year, the NTSB recently filed a final report on the February 2017 crash of a different Schweizer 269C helicopter. In that report, the NTSB concluded that a malfunctioning throttle was the probable cause of the crash.

“The separation of the throttle cable’s outer housing from the inner housing at the throttle linkage while at a high-power setting, which prevented the pilot from being able to control the throttle and execute a proper landing flare, resulted in a hard landing.”