Photos by David Stoeckl

Student on training flight from Lancaster Airport when aircraft plunges into Susquehanna; 3 hurt

Friday, November 1, 2002

By Brett Lovelace
Intelligencer Journal Staff

   Three people were injured Thursday night when their helicopter crashed into the Susquehanna River near Marietta during a pilot training session.

Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are expected to arrive in Marietta about 5 a.m. to begin a probe into the crash, according to Chief Thomas Brill of Marietta Pioneer Fire Company.

A Hughes Helicopter 369A crashed at 5:29 p.m. into 40-degree water about 80 feet from the Marietta shore. The pilot, a student learning to fly the helicopter and another passenger escaped the helicopter as it sank in about 8 feet of water and swam to shore, Sgt. William Roberts of Susquehanna Regional Police Department said.

"The pilot and student were trading control of the helicopter and in the twilight misjudged how close they were to the water," Roberts said. "One of the skids hit the water, and the current yanked the helicopter down."

The pilot --Brian Shank, 46, of Rothsville --suffered a broken ankle, a head injury and hypothermia. He was listed in fair condition Thursday night at Lancaster General Hospital.

The student --Elliott Rhoades, 39, of North Wales --and the passenger --Christopher Tymon, 40, of Wayne --both suffered hypothermia and were listed in serious condition Thursday night at LGH.

After reaching shore, Shank, Rhoades and Tymon walked about 300 yards through thick woods and on railroad tracks to the intersection of West Market and Jones streets. Rhoades and Tymon sat on a wooden bench at 505 W. Market St. while Shank attempted to get help from passing motorists, Brill said.

Brill was driving on West Market Street after hearing about the helicopter crash when Shank flagged him down.

"At first I had no idea he was the pilot," Brill said. "People were reporting four locations as to where the crash happened. He didn't appear injured except for a cut on his head."

Shank told Brill the helicopter was in the river and that everyone on board was with him.

About 40 gallons of helicopter fuel leaked into the river. The Columbia Borough Water Filtration Plant shut off its intake system, which accesses the river, until the spill flowed downstream, Brill said.

A team of rescue boats reached the helicopter about 5:45 p.m. It had come to rest between a small unnamed island and the shore. Firefighters established a perimeter of booms around the helicopter to preserve the accident scene for federal investigators, Brill said.

The helicopter, owned by Lancaster Helicopters Inc. of Landisville, left Lancaster Airport in Manheim Township about 4 p.m. Lancaster Helicopters Inc. is a private firm that teaches people to fly.

Shank returned to the airport an hour later, refueled and took off again. The helicopter had flown about 20 miles west when it crashed, Roberts said.

Witnesses reported seeing the helicopter attempting aerial maneuvers while circling Marietta several times before it disappeared into the river.

Troy Potoczek, 27, who lives near West Market and Jones streets, was preparing to hand out candy for trick-or-treaters when he heard the crash.

"I heard a loud boom," Potoczek said. "The pilot was flying around like a maniac, showing off. It doesn't surprise me that he crashed."

Eric Danemark, 29, was walking near his West Market Street home when he saw the helicopter minutes before it crashed.

"It made a quick turnaround, like you see in the movies," Danemark said. "The way it went down was weird, though, because I didn't see any explosion or smoke."

Paula Stevens lives at 505 W. Market St. She found Shank, Rhoades and Tymon sitting in her yard, soaked from the swim.

"I got them blankets and made sure they covered up," Stevens said. "One of the men used my husband's cell phone to make a call."

The accident brought a swarm of ambulances, police cruisers, fire engines and hazardous materials team vehicles to the 400 block of West Market Street. Emergency workers mingled with trick-or-treaters and their parents.

Had the helicopter crashed on the street with hundreds of trick-or-treaters and adults walking around, Brill said, the crash could have been catastrophic.

"We would have had a big mess," Brill said. "I don't even want to think about how bad it might have been."