Authorities release preliminary report on deadly DPS helicopter crash in Flagstaff

PHOENIX — The federal agency responsible for investigating civil aviation accidents has released a preliminary report on last month’s helicopter crash in Flagstaff that killed an Arizona Department of Public Safety pilot and a trooper/paramedic.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), investigators found no evidence of ballistic punctures — or gunshot damage — in the wreckage from the Feb. 4 crash that killed trooper/paramedic Hunter Bennett and pilot Robert Skankey.

The two had been deployed as part of an aerial support crew assisting the Flagstaff Police Department after suspect Terrell Storey allegedly opened fire on officers responding to a domestic violence call.

The preliminary report also noted that the helicopter’s closest proximity to Storey at the time shots were fired was about 7,500 feet.

There was clearly a mechanical problem with the main rotor but it’s not clear yet whether the problem was in the transmission or somewhere else in the helicopter’s engine, aviation safety expert John Cox told The Associated Press.

“Something uncoupled the rotor system and it did it very quickly,” said Cox, CEO of Safety Operating Systems. “According to the report, it was uncommanded because it’s instantaneous and you never do that. So there’s a mechanical issue there.”

Before the crash, Bennett and Skankey had completed a rescue of stranded hikers and returned to their base in Kingman. After receiving a request to assist with the Flagstaff incident, they departed around 9:10 p.m. As they approached Flagstaff, they maintained radio communication with law enforcement on the ground.

What did preliminary report about fatal DPS helicopter crash find?

Skankey, who had more than 3,500 hours of civil helicopter flight time to his credit, was using night‑vision goggles, the NTSB report said.

Everything appeared normal until 10:16 p.m., when the helicopter suddenly veered sharply to the right. At that same moment, investigators recorded an unidentified verbal sound over the radio followed by two loud banging noises from the aircraft.

According to the report, the helicopter began descending immediately afterward, and a voice on board transmitted, “We’re going down,” over the radio.

The helicopter crashed onto a flat dirt access road, scattering debris up to 100 feet to the south.

Investigators found conditions consistent with “instantaneous removal of the rotor load from the power turbine,” along with “angular cuts” and “deep grooves” in the tail‑rotor gearbox.

The report did not provide a definitive cause of the crash.

Authorities release preliminary report on Flagstaff helicopter crash that left 2 DPS staffers dead by sosullivan

What happened before the fatal helicopter crash?

Before the fatal helicopter crash, Flagstaff officers had arrived at a neighborhood north of Route 66 between Mark Lane and Thompson Road.

Police said Storey was armed with a long rifle and allegedly fired at officers and the victim, moving across rooftops and continuing to shoot for roughly two hours.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, a fire erupted after the helicopter went down.

The FAA and NTSB are jointly investigating the cause of that fire in addition to the crash itself.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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