KINNEY COUNTY, Texas – The National Transportation Safety Board released new information on what happened before a helicopter crash killed two people last month in Kinney County.
The operator of the Robinson R44 helicopter owned a ranch in Uvalde, Texas, according to NTSB’s report. On Feb. 27, 2025 — the day of the crash — the ranch owners requested the helicopter pilot and passenger “to perform a low-level aerial survey of white-tailed deer” on ranch grounds, a normal request.
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While the pilot typically flew over the property between 75 feet and 100 feet above ground at an approximate airspeed between 20 knots and 30 knots, the passenger was in charge of recording what they saw below in a notebook, which included counting the number of bucks, does and yearlings on the ranch, according to the report.
NTSB said the pilot and passenger departed for aerial survey work at approximately 7:30 a.m. on the day of the crash. The ranch owners also employed a fuel truck on ranch grounds.
According to the investigation, the ranch’s foreman recognized that the Robinson R44 helicopter “was past due to refuel” and notified the helicopter pilot’s wife.
The pilot’s wife received a notification on her phone that indicated the helicopter her husband piloted was involved in an accident. NTSB said the crash happened just before 1:30 p.m., approximately 250 feet east of a dirt road.
First responders later located the wrecked helicopter on a “remote, flat area” of the ranch within Kinney County, approximately 20 miles west of Uvalde. Both the pilot and passenger were pronounced dead at the scene.
On Feb. 28, 2025, the Kinney County Sheriff’s Office identified the pilot as William Garrett Robertson of Uvalde, Texas, and the passenger as Earle Blakely Hunnicutt, a Florida native.
In its report, NTSB did not determine a cause of the crash. The agency said its complete report is subject to change.
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