Two people were killed in the Feb. 27 crash, including a visitor from Florida.
SAN ANTONIO — The early findings of a federal investigation into last month’s deadly helicopter crash near Uvalde say an employee at the ranch the aircraft left from “noticed it was past due to refuel,” but doesn’t say whether that may have caused it to go down in Kinney County, killing both men onboard.
Authorities last week identified William Garrett Robinson, a 31-year-old pilot out of Uvalde, and Earle Blakely Hunnicutt, a 53-year-old man visiting from Florida, as the victims in the Feb. 27 accident involving a four-seat Robinson R44 chopper. The pair were surveying game over the Harris Ranch when the emergency unfolded, according to local officials.
The helicopter had departed from Two Sisters Ranch around 7:30 a.m. for the aerial survey, which meant they were likely flying between 75 and 100 feet above the ground, investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board said in their preliminary report released Tuesday. A fuel truck was stationed at the ranch, where investigators say the foreman became aware the chopper was past due to refuel.
The foreman then contacted Robinson’s wife, the report says, who received a Life360 ping indicating he was in trouble.
Officials said the aircraft came down around 1:20 p.m. But the cause has yet to be determined.
“First responders were notified about the missing helicopter, and the wreckage was located in a remote, flat area of the ranch, consisting of trees, brush and cactus,” the NTSB preliminary report said, citing damage to the helicopter was “substantial.”
A 12-gauge shotgun used to “dispatch wild pigs” was also on the helicopter.
The report also said the aircraft had most recently completed routine airframe maintenance on Jan. 24, about a month before the crash. Investigators added that their search of the crash site “revealed no Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast data,” referring to surveillance technology that provides information about GPS location, altitude, ground speed and other factors.
Kinney County Judge John Paul Schuster told KENS 5 last month that Hunnicutt was visiting with a group of friends.
“This was one of their annual trips,” Schuster said. “They come out here, they’re friends with the manager of the ranch and everything and they come every year. This is kind of a get away from them to fly, do some fun.”
Robinson, the pilot, reportedly had “extensive experience performing low-level aerial surveys and was familiar with the operating area.”
The FAA and NTSB are still investigating the crash.