HEBBRONVILLE, Texas — The National Transportation Safety Board released Monday a preliminary report on a fatal helicopter crash that killed two people at a ranch in Hebronville, Texas, last month.
It was Oct. 23 when authorities said two small helicopters collided in the air while netting deer at a private ranch northeast of Hebbronville. Two people, 49-year-old James "Charles" Short of Alice, Texas, and 39-year-old Jose "J.R." Garcia of Realitos, Texas, both died as a result of the crash.
According to the NTSB's preliminary report, the two Robinson R22 helicopters collided in mid-air at around 8:45 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23. The pilot and passenger in one helicopter, the "spotter," were both fatally injured, and the passenger of the other helicopter, the "gunner" sustained serious injuries.
The helicopters departed from private property at around 8 a.m. that morning.
The NTSB report said the "spotter" craft was looking for wildlife on the ground and alerting the "gunner" craft to the animals, calling them over to the locations where the deer were sighted. Witnesses said the "spotter" had turned for an unknown reason and collided with the "gunner."
The "spotter" landed almost flat in a field filled with brush and mesquite trees. It sustained damage to the main rotor, tail rotor, fuselage, tail boom and skids. The "gunner" craft performed a forced landing on a nearby roadway.
Many 3News viewers who read the original story of this crash asked what exactly deer netting means. Deer netting is part of a Deer Management Program, or DMP, used for either relocating the animals or for breeding purposes. The process is supposed to be approved by Texas Game Wardens ahead of time.
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