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Helicopter crash kills two men
Published February 28, 2007
WALTON COUNTY — Two men died in a helicopter crash in Walton County last weekend.
The helicopter crashed on North Crosslane Road, touching down in a heavily wooded area around 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
Walton County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived soon after receiving an emergency call to find the two men, identified as Roy Hubbard, 43, of Monroe, and Rawlins Reeves, 66, of Venus, Fla., amid the wreckage about 100 yards off the roadway.
Hubbard was dead on arrival, but Reeves was airlifted to Grady Memorial Hospital and died later that day of his injuries.
Atlanta-area officials from the Federal Aviation Administration are currently investigating what led to the crash, local law enforcement officials said.
“The FAA has completed its onsite investigation,” said Chief Deputy Bruce Wright with the Walton County Sheriff’s Office. “They’ll be in charge of determining what caused the crash.”
Wright said little was currently known about the incident, including which of the two men was piloting the helicopter, but with the completion of the Walton side of the investigation, the family and community could move on.
“They’ve given us permission to remove the chopper from the woods,” Wright said, adding that the family would be in charge of the process.
Walton resident Mike Sorg, a close friend of Hubbard, said he was shocked at the news after flying with Hubbard in the helicopter the day before the accident.
“It was flying great,” Sorg said. “Roy was as safe a man as you would want to be around, flying or on the ground. He was safety conscious. I don’t have a clue as to what might have happened.”
Sorg said the news of the tragedy had been hard on everyone.
“I was devastated,” Sorg said. “Roy was a good friend and he was just a fine person. I couldn’t believe it.”
In related news, a student pilot was injured Monday morning in a helicopter crash at the Covington Municipal Airport in Newton County, according to published reports.
The pilot, whose name has not been released, was flying solo for the first time when the helicopter crashed about 9:30 a.m., authorities said.
The pilot lifted off and was hovering about 10 feet in the air when he lost control.
The helicopter landed on its side and the pilot was seriously injured.
The helicopter was registered to Heli Flight LLC in Social Circle, officials said.
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