The father of a woman who died in a helicopter crash said his daughter was taking an aerial tour when the crash happened Sunday, according to his Facebook post.
The crash happened during a music festival near Mulberry Mountain in Franklin County north of Ozark, officials said.
Pilot Chuck Dixon of Tulsa, Okla.; Sarah Hill of Austin, Texas; and Marco Ornelas of Mexico died in the crash, said Franklin County Sheriff Anthony Boen. The lone survivor, Zachary Peterson of Omaha, Neb., was airlifted to St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa and was in critical condition Tuesday afternoon.
Scott Hill of Brenham, Texas, is credited with a Facebook post Monday about the crash. Attempts Tuesday to reach Scott Hill to confirm his authorship of the post were unsuccessful.
"It is with a sad heart that we report the tragic accident and the loss of our daughter Sarah," the post said. "While working at the Backwoods Music Festival in Arkansas, Sarah and two of her friends took an aerial tour of the festival in a helicopter, and it crashed yesterday evening. We do not have any other details at this time due to the difficulty the authorities have in accessing the location in order to conduct an official investigation of the wreckage. We felt that Facebook was the quickest way to let everyone know, and we thank you all for your prayers and support as we celebrate the 24 years of her life that God blessed us with."
The Arkansas State Police said four people were aboard the sightseeing Robinson R44 helicopter when it crashed. The agency responded around 7 p.m. Sunday to find the aircraft in rural Franklin County, said Bill Sadler, spokesman.
Tulsa County Helicopters had been giving tours for people at the festival. Tony Vann, company spokesman, released a statement Tuesday afternoon from Becky Woodward. She's referred to as the "significant other of the late pilot Chuck Dixon" in the release.
"The owners and staff of Tulsa County Helicopters offer our sincerest condolences to the family members of those who lost their lives," she said. "As a family owned and operated business, we share in the grief and loss you are experiencing. Tulsa County Helicopters is currently working with the appropriate authorities pursuant to the incident."
Tulsa County Helicopters is based at Jones Riverside Airport in Tulsa and began operation in 2008, the release said.
In a post on the Backwoods Music Festival website before the event, Dixon said he and a buddy started the business 11 years ago. They both graduated from flight school and wanted to find a way to keep flying.
"All we had was a rented helicopter, an E-Z up tent, and my pickup truck," he said. "We would drive around and offer helicopter rides at pretty much any large outdoor gathering we could find."
He said they built a successful business in Tulsa, "but we still travel to outdoor festivals like Backwoods. That's how we first got started, and we like to stay true to our roots."
The National Transportation Safety Board is in charge of the crash investigation. An investigator with the board was at the scene Monday, said Peter Knudson, spokesman.
Knudson said Tuesday they will try to get the wreckage removed today. He said authorities weren't aware of any witnesses to the crash, but if anyone saw it, they can email [email protected], he said.
Christopher O'Neil with the safety board said Monday investigators usually spend three to 10 days at the site of an accident like this, and it'll likely take about 10 business days before the board has a preliminary report on its findings.
The board's process will include investigating whether the cause of the accident was weather-related or mechanical, for example, O'Neil said. The board doesn't speculate what factors could have caused the accident, he said.
NW News on 06/05/2019