Camden
1 dead, 1 injured in Helicopter Crash
Crash occurred at Xe / Blackwater Compound
by John H Snowden, III
Publisher / Editor
nencnews@yahoo.com
Moyock - One fatality has resulted from a helicopter crash at US Training Co / Xe (formerly Blackwater Worldwide) in Camden earlier today (Tuesday).
Camden County manager, Randell Woodruff confirmed that a helicopter crash was reported, with 1 person injured and another whose condition is unknown. According to Woodruff the crash occurred shortly after 1:30 p.m., with Nightingale dispatched to the scene.
Randall Edwards, Currituck County Public Information Officer, confirmed one fatality which resulted from the crash, and one person injured who was transported to Norfolk General Hospital by ambulance with non life threatening injuries.
Edwards related that an EMS unit stationed on the site at Blackwater and both Moyock and Crawford Volunteer fire departments responded to the crash. “Engine 3, Med 3 & 32, Truck 3 and EMS 1 & 2 responded,” stated Edwards. “They were on the scene in a matter of minutes.”
Edwards indicated that fire and rescue crews had immediate access to the sprawling Blackwater / Xe compound, which is comprised of over 3,000 acres straddling the Camden / Currituck County border
The type of helicopter involved in the crash has not been positively identified, however, Edwards indicated that the helicopter involved may have been a “Little Bird” - MD-369 - similar to those used in security operation in Iraq. The MD-369 is manufactured by McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems.
According to Associated Press reports, Federal Aviation Administration spokewoman Kathleen Bergen says the small helicopter crashed when its skid caught on an object and flipped over.
Authorities have reported that the fatality was that of an instructor pilot, while the student escaped with serious injury. A spokesperson for the company stated that this is the first serious injury in the 11 year history of the company’s Camden / Currituck facility.
Xe / Blackwater also flies a larger Bell - 214ST, which has been seen recently flying around the Currituck Regional Airport in Maple. According to airport manager, Wayne Leary, the larger helicopter usually takes on 100 - 350 gallons of Jet A fuel during recent flights into the airport. Leary could not recall the smaller helicopters visiting the facility.
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Wonder if the larger helo is the one I’m seeing around the sound the past few months. I saw one near the airport last week also. I was curious about all the helo traffic in the area, unusual, and flying similar routes on repetitive basis … like a training route.
In the mail today is a flyer from the county re: the olf. Well, what do you know: that helo route I was watching is the route marked in red on the map in the flyer.