Fill out this form to email this article to a friend
Crashed copter likely lacked gas
By Times Staff
Published July 12, 2005
CLEARWATER - A Clearwater man's helicopter crashed last month in New Jersey because he was out of gas, a preliminary report suggests.
Thomas Navickas, 61, and his passenger, Christian Gafke, 34, of New Orleans, died in the crash. They were flying from Elmer in Salem County in southern New Jersey to Hammonton Municipal Airport to get gas when they disappeared, family members said.
The crashed helicopter was found in a remote wooded area June 21.
A report from the National Transportation Safety Board states the "scene had no strong odor of jet fuel" and no gas was in the tank. The fuel shutoff valve was open.
Navickas, who built the helicopter in a Clearwater warehouse, took off at 7:20 a.m. June 19. He did not file a flight plan, according to the report. His family members reported him missing about 11 a.m.
The Federal Aviation Administration, which inspected the wreckage, thinks he crashed about 7:45 a.m.
Paul Cox, a lead NTSB investigator, cautioned that the report is preliminary. A probable cause report would take about six months, he said.
Navickas was born in Woodbury, N.J., and moved to Clearwater in 1973. He served in the Army and was in the American Legion in Florida.
Friends said he previously transported the helicopter by trailer to New Jersey, where he gave demonstrations.
[Last modified July 12, 2005, 01:26:22]
Share your thoughts on this story
|
News
Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
Print
Email story
Comment
Email editor
