NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — A mosquito control helicopter crashed in New Smyrna Beach Thursday, Volusia County Fire Rescue officials said.
The helicopter crashed in a wooded area near State Road 44 and Interstate 95 at about 3:30 p.m. on property owned by Kirkland Sod.
The pilot, Brian Hayes, 43, was able to call the Volusia County Mosquito Control administration on his cellphone. They called 911 and stayed in contact with Hayes on his cellphone to ping the coordinates of his location.
Hayes escaped serious injuries and is expected to be released from the hospital.
The scene from Skywitness 9 showed the mangled helicopter after the crash.
Hayes was flying a routine larvae-cide mission for Volusia County Mosquito Control when he went down, making the call himself to say he wasn’t seriously injured.
Rescuers said it was a challenge finding the crash scene in the dense woods.
“We were turning our sirens on to see if he could hear them, and at that point while talking to the dispatcher, he was able to give us more of a location so we could zoom in on him,” said Deputy Chief Tim Martin of Volusia County Fire Rescue.
Using Hayes’ cellphone to ping his coordinates, first responders arrived to find he had climbed out of the 1989 rotorcraft, the older of the two choppers in the county fleet, on his own.
A friend and neighbor of Hayes said he is an experienced pilot.
“He talked about his piloting, which was neat for me,” said Joseph McCauley.
Deputies have roped off the accident area until investigators with the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board arrive Friday morning.
Hayes flew Black Hawks during his 20 years with the U.S. Army, according to Volusia County Mosquito Control Director Jim McNelly. He has been working for the county since March.
The helicopter was badly damaged, if not totaled.
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