The National Transportation Safety Board released a final report regarding the death of Troy Gentry, who was killed in a helicopter crash on Sept. 8, 2017, at the Flying W Airport in Medford, New Jersey.
According to the NTSB, the pilot, who also died, cut the engine too soon as he tried to make an emergency landing. The pilot error led to an uncontrolled descent that sent the helicopter crashing into the woods.
Shortly after takeoff the pilot reported that he could not control the engine. Experts on the ground suggested a shallow, run-on landing—similar to an airplane approaching a runway on a gradual horizontal plane—but the pilot instead attempted a power-off autorotation, a maneuver in which he cut the engine and tried to glide in. The experts stressed the need to wait until the helicopter was over the runway before turning off the engine, but investigators concluded the pilot did so too far out. The NTSB also said the maintenance crew’s failure to rig the throttle control assembly before the flight contributed to the crash.
Troy, who was 50 at the time, was one half of the country duo Montgomery Gentry. His bandmate, Eddie Montgomery, was at the airport during the crash, as the duo was scheduled to perform that night.
Montgomery Gentry was formed in 1999. The duo found success with songs such as “My Town,” “If You Ever Stopped Loving Me,” “Something to Be Proud Of,” “Gone,” and “Back When I Knew It All.”
Troy is survived by his wife, Angie Gentry, and two daughters, Taylor and Kaylee.
