At approximately 5:00 PM on Saturday, June 22, 2022, a UH-1b “Huey” helicopter crashed in West Virginia, in a rural area. A 911 call was received by Logan County Emergency Management, stating that a helicopter had crashed, near route 17, in an area known as Kelly Hollow, and everyone on board was killed.
The UH-1b helicopter is commonly referred to as the Huey, an iconic Vietnam-era helicopter shown in many war movies from the era. According to the FAA or Federal Aviation Administration, the helicopter was manufactured in 1962. The helicopter was part of a festival in Logan County, called the seventh annual Huey Reunion.
Late last week the National Transportation Safety Board removed the wreckage from the highway and shipped it to their Atlanta-based warehouse for testing. According to reports, federal investigators stated that the aircraft crashed 15 minutes after take-off when the aircraft hit a rock face.
It is unclear whether the aircraft was attempting to make an emergency landing when it hit the rock face, or if the pilot was attempting to fly low level or nap of the earth, more commonly referred to as NOE. Both NOE flight and low level require flying considerably close to the ground, which can be risky depending on the level of experience of the pilot. Typically, this type of flying is taught to military helicopter pilots, however, it is unclear whether the pilot was a former military aviator or merely a Huey enthusiast.
If you or someone you know has suffered injuries or the loss of a family member due to the negligence of a product manufacturer or aviation-related incident, contact an attorney at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz, & Stogner by calling 713-222-7211 or toll-free at 1-800-594-4884.