Wasp nest clogging fuel tank leads to fatal New York helicopter crash, officials say
A wasp nest clogging a fuel tank led to a fatal helicopter crash in New York, officials say.
Gary Johnson, 65, was flying his helicopter in West Carthage shortly after 11 a.m. on July 27 when it crashed, New York State Police said in a news release.
Johnson’s brother told officials that his brother regularly flew the aircraft from his home and about the area, according to a preliminary investigation report from the National Transportation Safety Board.
However, on the day of the fatal crash, the helicopter had not been flown in about three weeks, officials said.
The crash happened just 15 minutes after Johnson left his home, according to officials.
One bystander who saw the crash told officials they heard an engine “sputter” before seeing the helicopter fall vertically “into a marshy area behind the commercial property,” officials said.
Johnson was seriously injured and taken to a hospital, where was pronounced dead, police said.
As inspectors drained the craft’s 32-gallon fuel tank, equipped with 11 gallons of gasoline, they noticed the “fuel flowed sporadically,” which is “consistent with a lack of venting,” the report says.
Once the fuel was drained, inspectors used a borescope to look inside the metal fuel tube and found a blockage, officials said.
Inspectors removed the vent tube from the tank and then took out the debris, “consistent with a mud dauber nest,” or wasp nest, the report says.
Johnson was a well-known businessman in the community, WWNY reported.
He died one day before his 66th birthday, according to his obituary.
“Gary had a lifelong love of flying both planes and helicopters,” his obituary says. “You could often catch him flying around town, sneaking a peak from the air at his properties and of properties of his loved ones.”
He is survived by his three children and six grandchildren, his obituary says.
Carthage is about an 85-mile drive northeast from Syracuse.
This story was originally published August 12, 2024 at 11:35 AM with the headline "Wasp nest clogging fuel tank leads to fatal New York helicopter crash, officials say."
