Will Be Moved From Oklahoma To Dallas

Two people -- one of them an off-duty Oklahoma City (OK) police officer -- died and three members of a popular band were hospitalized when a Bell 206B helicopter became entangled in power lines and fell into the Cimarron River near Cushing (OK), according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

Margaret Tucker, who lives near the crash site, told KFOR-TV, "We were at the outside so we could hear. I thought it was somebody that was yelling," she said. "And see, I didn't know whether it was a rescuer or a rescuee and I was kind of concerned about that."

The Bell 206B went down just before 2100 CDT Saturday night, according to OHP Lt. Brandon Kopepasah. "We immediately started the search and rescue efforts for any possible survivors. We did find that there were five occupants within the aircraft and we did rescue three of them."

Pilot Darrell Jameson and passenger Nicholas Knigge were killed in the accident. Passengers Ben Han, John Cooper and Don Piccolo were hospitalized. All three are members of a band called the Red Dirt Rangers.

"The aircraft did impact three power lines," Kopepasah said. The NTSB is now tasked with finding out why. The wreckage is being moved to Dallas (TX) where it will be examined.

FAA Preliminary Accident Report

IDENTIFICATION
 Regis#: 27TV    Make/Model: B206   Description: BELL 206B HELICOPTER
 Date: 06/26/2004   Time: 0215

 Event Type: Accident  Highest Injury: Fatal   Mid Air: N  Missing: N
 Damage: Destroyed

LOCATION
 City: CUSHING           State: OK  Country: US

DESCRIPTION
 BELL 206, N27TV, ROTORCRAFT, WHILE ON A SIGHT-SEEING FLIGHT, CRASHED INTO
 THE CIMARRON RIVER, FIVE PERSONS WERE ON BOARD, THREE RESCUED WITH SERIOUS
 INJURIES, TWO WERE FATALLY INJURED, AIRCRAFT WAS SUBMERGED, NORTH OF
 CUSHING, OK

INJURY DATA   Total Fatal:  2
         # Crew:  1   Fat:  0   Ser:  0   Min:  0   Unk:  Y
         # Pass:  4    Fat:  2   Ser:  3   Min:  0   Unk:  Y
         # Grnd:       Fat:  0   Ser:  0   Min:  0   Unk: 

WEATHER: SWP 270153Z AUTO 19010KT 10SM FEW025 SCT029 23/17 A3005          
                                          
                            

OTHER DATA
 Activity: Aerial Observation   Phase: Unknown   Operation: Air Taxi (On Demand)

 Departed: CUSHING, OK         Dep Date:  Dep. Time:  
 Destination: CUSHING, OK       Flt Plan: NONE     Wx Briefing: Y
 Last Radio Cont: UNK
 Last Clearance: UNK

 FAA FSDO: OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (SW15)       Entry date: 06/28/2004

FMI: www.ntsb.gov