Little Rock police identify ex-officer injured in helicopter accident

Little Rock police on Friday identified the pilot who was injured in a helicopter accident the day before.

Retired officer William "Bill" Denio was testing a new battery in the aircraft just before 11 a.m. Thursday near 11400 Ironton Cut-off Road when a gust of "straight-line wind" tipped the helicopter over, authorities said.

The rotors of the helicopter, which had been on a small platform for the battery test, struck the asphalt, causing the aircraft to spin on the ground, according to police spokesman Lt. Michael Ford.

Denio had a severe head injury but was in stable condition at a Little Rock hospital Friday.

According to a news release, he worked as an officer at the department from May 1990 to May 2010. Police said he was hired as a civilian in January 2012 to work for the agency's aviation unit.

The helicopter was damaged beyond repair, Ford said. Wreckage of the two-seat aircraft revealed glass debris and a destroyed cockpit.

The accident happened at the department's helipad, which is west of Interstate 530 and less than a mile from the police training facility.

State Desk on 08/18/2018

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