Tue, Aug 23, 2016
Officials Call Stunt 'Exceptionally Irresponsible'
The pilot of a helicopter that dropped $1,000 cash on Wrightsville Beach in North Carolina may face charges of littering and flying lower than 500 feet over a populated area.
The helicopter had been chartered by Likeli, a Wilmington, NC social media startup company. The idea was to drop the cash on the beach where students who are returning to the University of Wilmington were enjoying a day on the sand as part of the school's annual "Beach Blast" event last Tuesday. The Star News reported on its website that the company posted information and a video of the stunt on its Facebook page.
After viewing a video of the stunt, Wrightsville Beach Police Chief Dan House said that the town was considering multiple charges against the High Tide Helicopters, which is based on Oak Island, and the pilot. They are also coordinating with the FAA to determine if any federal laws were violated. House said that in the video, it appears that the helicopter flies about 100 feet above the crowd. "Anything could have happened if they lost control," he said.
Television station WCET reports that the Likeli has issued an apology for the stunt. High Tide Helicopters owner Jennifer Ward was piloting the aircraft, and told the station she would "never fly in such a way that would endanger anyone on the ground or in the helicopter." She said she was "disappointed" by some of the comments made by the Wrightsville Beach police.
As part of its mea culpa, Likeli sponsored a beach cleanup day Sunday.
More News
"As previously announced on February 29th, our IM-1 mission ended seven days after landing, as Odysseus' mission was not intended to survive the harsh temperatures of the lunar nig>[...]
Marker Beacon An electronic navigation facility transmitting a 75 MHz vertical fan or boneshaped radiation pattern. Marker beacons are identified by their modulation frequency and >[...]
Have A Story That NEEDS To Be Featured On Aero-News? Here’s How To Submit A Story To Our Team Some of the greatest new stories ANN has ever covered have been submitted by our>[...]
Also: Moron With A Laser, EAA Aviation Museum, FAA v Santa Monica Propeller Service, Frontier MEC Lauds FO Boom Supersonic has confirmed details surrounding the successful first te>[...]
We're Everywhere... Thanks To You! Even with the vast resources and incredibly far-reaching scope of the Aero-News Network, every now and then a story that should be reported on sl>[...]