MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) — A helicopter co-pilot who survived a 2008 crash that killed nine people during takeoff from a wildfire staging area disputes a federal report blaming weight and lack of oversight.
The Mail Tribune reports that 46-year-old William “Bill” Coultas of Cave Junction says the National Transportation Safety Board ignored his written and oral testimony that loss of power in an engine caused the crash.
Coultas is still recovering from severe burns he suffered in the crash in Northern California that killed pilot Roark Schwanenberg of Lostine.
Both Coultas and the Schwanenberg family have sued the engine manufacturer, General Electric, as well as Sikorsky and Columbia Helicopters.
