MEDLEY, W.Va. — Grant County Sheriff Steven Wratchford confirmed a local man died in a helicopter crash near the community of Medley in Grant County.
“We had a local gentleman there who has his pilot’s license and is a very good pilot. He was flying his helicopter around and for some reason, his helicopter went down and in the crash he was pronounced dead on the scene,” Wratchford said.
Wratchford identified the victim as Mitchell Pennington, 72, of Medley, W.Va.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told MetroNews the chopper went down at around 4:50 p.m.
Pennington has his own air strip and often flies his own airplane in and out of the area. According to the sheriff, the helicopter, a model Hughes 269B was a recent purchase.
The National Transportation Safety Board has sent investigators to the scene. Deputies were posted through the night to oversee the wreckage and keep it secure until the federal authorities could arrive to begin their probe.
Wratchford said the pilot was the only one on board the aircraft when it went down.