Cause Of Crash That Killed Country Music Star Troy Gentry Revealed, 911 Audio Released

A helicopter crash that killed country music star Troy Gentry was caused by an engine failure, according to a preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

Gentry, one half of the duo Montgomery Gentry, was killed when the Schweitzer 269 helicopter in which he was a passenger crashed off Runway 1 at the Flying W Airport and Resort in Medford on Sept. 8. The duo was scheduled to perform at the resort that night. The pilot, 30-year-old James Evan Robinson, of Medford, was also killed in the crash.

Robinson was giving the 50-year-old Tennessee native a ride strictly for pleasure when he reported that the engine had failed and he lost control of the aircraft at about 1 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 8, according to the preliminary report.

After consulting air traffic control, Robinson decided to attempt to turn the engine off and land the helicopter using the autorotation process, in which air moves up through the rotor instead of having the engine power the aircraft. It’s a process that is common in emergency situations such as engine failure, and one Robinson had done numerous times in the past, according to the report.

However, as Robinson was performing autoration about 950 feet above the runway, the helicopter’s RPM decayed to the point where he could see each individual rotor blades, according to the NTSB’s findings.
Air traffic control couldn’t hear the helicopter because the engine was off, and the aircraft disappeared from view.

Ultimately, they heard a high pitched whine from the helicopter just before the sound of a crash. Video provided by local police showed the helicopter becoming more vertical and falling faster just before it left air traffic control’s view.

After the crash, Gentry was extricated from the helicopter and was taken Virtua Hospital in Marlton, where he was later pronounced dead. Robinson remained trapped in the helicopter, where he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Robinson was fully certified and passed his most recent competency check on April 19 of this year, seven days after he earned his most recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) second-class medical certificate, according to the report.

That competency check was held in the same helicopter that was involved in the crash. The helicopter was 17 years old, and its last 100-hour inspection took place on Aug. 17.

The NTSB will issue a final report at a later date, and advised that that report would correct any errors that may have been made in the preliminary findings. To read the full report, visit ntsb.gov.

TMZ obtained audio of the emergency call from the airport to police, which describes the helicopter as "hovering" for a few moments before the crash. The airport requested that the fire department report to the scene before the helicopter attempted to land. A few moments later, they report that the chopper has crashed in the field.

See related: Troy Gentry, Country Music Singer, Killed In South Jersey Helicopter Crash

Montgomery Gentry was best known for its hit song "My Town," and won awards as the top vocal duo of the year by both the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music, as well as the American Music Award for New Country Artist, all in 2000.

Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry of Montgomery Gentry perform at the ACM Party for a Cause at Globe Life Park on April 17, 2015, in Arlington, Texas. A preliminary report by the NTSB found that an engine failure was to blame for the helicopter crash that killed Gentry on Sept. 8. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)