MEDFORD, N.J. (AP) – Engine problems caused a helicopter crash last week that killed Montgomery Gentry singer Troy Gentry and the pilot, according to a preliminary report issued Wednesday by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The pilot, James Evan Robinson, reported shortly after takeoff Friday that the aircraft was experiencing mechanical problems.
After discussing the issue with experts on the ground, Robinson decided to stop the engine and perform an autorotation – a familiar procedure he had performed numerous times in the past – that would glide the helicopter down to a runway at the Flying W Airport in Medford.
The plane, though, soon went down and crashed in a wooded area near the airport.
The 50-year-old Gentry was half of the award-winning country music duo Montgomery Gentry. The crash occurred hours before they were due to perform at a resort housed at the airport, and the NTSB report said Gentry had taken the flight for pleasure before the show.