Widow of Troy Gentry Has Sued Following 2017 Accident

The widow of country music star Troy Gentry has named Sikorsky and Keystone Helicopter Corporation in a lawsuit related to a September 8, 2017 accident in which the musician was fatally injured, according to a report from Fox News.

Gentry was on his way to a Montgomery Gentry show when the Schweizer 269C-1 he was aboard impacted terrain while performing a forced landing to Runway 01 at Flying W Airport (N14), in Medford, NJ. The commercial pilot, identified as 30-year-old pilot James Evan Robinson, was also fatally injured.

The NTSB's preliminary report indicates that, according to the chief flight instructor for the operator, the purpose of the flight was to provide an orientation/pleasure flight to Gentry, who was scheduled to perform in a concert on the airport later that evening.

The lawsuit, which was filed February 14 says: "The dangers from the lack of crashworthiness and defects in the engine, transmission and sprag clutch, throttle cables, engine attachments and absence of crashworthy features were unknown to the average user and consumer of this helicopter but well known to these defendants who made it a point to hide and deny and problems that could and did cause serious personal injury and death.

"Because of defects in the engine, throttle cable attachment and collective control, the helicopter did not enter autorotation as expected, it did not disengage smartly from the transmission so the engine the rotors slowed to a speed lower than would permit a safe autorotation, thus allowing the helicopter to drop like a stone to the ground below, killing all aboard."

The lawsuit did not specify damages. Fox New reports that Sikorsky would not comment on the lawsuit, saying in a statement that the company is "fully cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board and cannot comment further due to the investigation."

(Image from file. Not accident helicopter)

FMI: Original report, NTSB Preliminary report