A New York businessman has died in a helicopter crash after wasps built a nest in the gas tank vent, causing the engine to sputter and fall from the sky.
Gary Johnson, 65, of Carthage, was at the controls of his private Schweizer 269C helicopter when disaster struck just 15 minutes into the flight on July 27.
The crash occurred around 11:15 a.m. and Johnson was seriously injured. He was taken to Carthage Area Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Investigators identified the culprit as a nest built by potter wasps inside the helicopter’s gas tank vent pipe.
The wasps caused his helicopter to sputter and fall from the sky, killing Johnson.
Gary Johnson, 65, of Carthage, was at the controls of his private Schweizer 269C helicopter when disaster struck just 15 minutes into the flight on July 27.
The helicopter plunged 50 feet into a swamp, crashing behind a commercial property he was developing about 70 miles northeast of Syracuse.
A resident of West Carthage, New York, witnessed the horrific moment.
They told investigators that Johnson was flying about 50 feet above the scene when the plane’s engine began to “sputter.”
The National Transportation Safety Board report, released Aug. 2, said that while 11 gallons of fuel were found in the tank, it was “flowing sporadically… consistent with a lack of ventilation.”
NTSB investigator-in-charge Robert Gretz wrote: “After all fuel was drained, the metal fuel vent tube was examined with a borescope and a blockage was observed in the tube,” HNGN reported.
“The tank’s vent pipe was then removed and the debris was removed using compressed air and a metal wire. The debris was consistent with a potter wasp nest,” he added.
The blockage was later confirmed to be “consistent with a potter wasp nest.”
Investigators identified the culprit as a nest built by potter wasps inside the helicopter’s gas tank vent pipe.
Johnson had not flown his Schweizer 269C helicopter for three weeks before the fatal crash, his brother told investigators.
The dark-coloured potter wasps, known for building nests in disused machinery, had taken advantage of the helicopter’s three-week hiatus.
Johnson, a prominent local figure, owned and operated a gas station and auto repair shop in Carthage since 1976.
He also owned several rental properties and was in the midst of remodeling the Sahara Restaurant in Wilna with his daughter.
‘Gary Richard Johnson, 65, a beloved son, brother, father, grandfather, uncle and friend, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, July 27, 2024, doing what he loved, flying his helicopter,’ his obituary wrote.