Pilot Hears Loud Noise Just Before Mishap

A pilot, with a reported 20 years experience flying similar aircraft, and his wife suffered non-life threatening injuries Wednesday in the crash of an experimental, amateur-built helicopter in rural Douglas County, KS.

The crash, which occurred near Baldwin City, apparently was caused by a mechanical failure, reports said. The couple was flying a 2001 RotorWay Exec 162F kit-built helicopter, owned by James Dohrman, according to a Kansas Highway Patrol report and FAA records.

RotorWay, based in Chandler, AZ sells helicopter kits for about $67,000, according to the company’s Web site.

Pilot James L. Dohrman was flown to Kansas University Hospital with injuries that police said were non-life threatening, while his wife was not seriously injured.

About 3:00 pm, the helicopter was flying about 1,500 feet above the eastern edge of Douglas County when Dohrman heard a "bang" noise, according to the highway patrol's report.

"He heard a loud knock in the rear of the craft," Kansas Highway Patrol trooper Casey Simoneau said. The helicopter crashed soon afterward.

The pilot’s wife, Miya Dorhman, reported the crash; when police arrived at 3:19 pm, they found her outside waving them down from a field as the helicopter sat upside down in a nearby creek bed.

"It just took a little while to find her, to get her oriented to where she was," said Lt. Kari Wempe, a Sheriff's Office spokeswoman.

FMI: www.rotorway.com, www.kansashighwaypatrol.org, www.douglas-county.com/sheriff/sheriff.asp