STONY RIDGE, Ohio — The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a helicopter crash in Wood County that killed two people Monday, and plans to release a preliminary report in about a week.
Helicopter pilot Tyson Snyder, 32, of Wooster, Ohio, and passenger Jeffery Fluharty, 62, of West Virginia, both died at the scene of the crash, which was reported just before noon Monday. Both were contracted to do utility work for Toledo Edison.
The helicopter crashed into a field near State Rt. 163 and Pemberville Road in Troy Township.
RELATED: Two dead after helicopter crashes in Wood County
The NTSB will recover the helicopter later Tuesday evening, and its full investigation could take up to a year, Jennifer Rodi, a senior air safety investigator with the safety board, said Tuesday during a news conference at the scene.
“We do not rush our process,” Ms. Rodi said.
A preliminary report should be issued within five to seven days, she said, at which point an advisory could be issued for other helicopter pilots, if necessary. She did not speculate on any potential cause for the crash.
She said the pilot had between 1 and 1.5 miles of visibility at the time of the crash, and there was noticeable fuel at the scene of the crash.
WATCH: Wood County Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn speaks Monday about helicopter crash
The helicopter, manufactured in 1971, was owned by Vista I, Inc., a Smithville, Ohio, company that has five other aircraft registered with the Federal Aviation Administration. A call to the company was not immediately returned on Tuesday.
Contact Zack Lemon at zlemon@theblade.com, 419-724-6282, or on Twitter @zack_lemon.
First Published January 16, 2018, 7:01 p.m.
