MEDFORD, N.J. (AP) — Federal investigators say pilot error following engine maintenance problems caused the helicopter crash last year that killed Montgomery Gentry singer Troy Gentry and the pilot in New Jersey.
A final report issued Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board says the pilot cut the engine too soon as he tried to make an emergency landing, leading to an uncontrolled descent.
The September 2017 crash occurred during a pleasure flight for Gentry at the Flying W Airport in Medford, where he was to perform that night at the airport's resort.
The 50-year-old Gentry was half of the award-winning country music duo Montgomery Gentry.
The NTSB says pilot James Evan Robinson said he had done the emergency maneuver before but apparently cut the engine ahead of the runway before crashing in the woods.
