Investigators Found Downed Cables At The Scene Of The Accident

NTSB investigators say they have found downed cable lines near the site of a helicopter accident in the Verde River in Yavapai County, AZ, which resulted in the fatal injury of all four people on board the aircraft last Saturday.

NTSB Spokesman Eric Weiss said that the main pieces of the wreckage, the fuselage, tail boom, and main rotor were all found in a relatively compact area in the water, according to television station KSAZ. Approximately 100 yards upstream, or south of the accident site, there were portions of a severed cable that was part of a cable and pulley system which crossed the river at an altitude of about 50 feet, Weiss said. He said there were impact marks on the rotor blades consistent with a cable strike, but emphasized that the investigation was in its very early stages and it was impossible to say what was the cause of the accident.

The Yavapai County Sheriff's office had said that the flight had originated in Sedona, AZ, and was en route to Scottsdale Airport when the accident occurred, but Weiss would not confirm that information.

The pilot was Raymond P. Perry, a 70-year-old restaurant owner. His stepson told the station that Perry liked to fly low over the canyon for the view. He was reportedly an experienced helicopter pilot.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov