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Wimauma, FL Copter Crash
WIMAUMA, Fla. (AP) - A 46-year-old Lakeland man was by killed
falling debris after a helicopter crashed on a strawberry farm in
southern Hillsborough County on Tuesday morning.
William "Billy" Harter was struck and killed when the
helicopter clipped a storage building and plowed into the ground.
Don Goodson, 53, who owns the farm, and passenger Don Taylor, 48,
of South Haven, Miss., were airlifted to Tampa General Hospital,
where both underwent surgery Tuesday night, officials said.
Their conditions were not released by hospital officials.
Harter was standing on the landing pad at Goodson Farms when the
accident happened at 11:14 a.m., said Lt. Rod Reder of the
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Department.
Goodson attempted to land his helicopter on the landing pad
beside his garage, but the helicopter hit the side of the garage,
Reder said.
Officials took 40 minutes to extract Goodson and Taylor from the
helicopter.
"These guys were in pretty bad shape," Reder said.
As in all aviation crashes, the Federal Aviation Administration
will investigate the accident, Reder said.
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Information from: St. Petersburg Times, http://www.sptimes.com
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
falling debris after a helicopter crashed on a strawberry farm in
southern Hillsborough County on Tuesday morning.
William "Billy" Harter was struck and killed when the
helicopter clipped a storage building and plowed into the ground.
Don Goodson, 53, who owns the farm, and passenger Don Taylor, 48,
of South Haven, Miss., were airlifted to Tampa General Hospital,
where both underwent surgery Tuesday night, officials said.
Their conditions were not released by hospital officials.
Harter was standing on the landing pad at Goodson Farms when the
accident happened at 11:14 a.m., said Lt. Rod Reder of the
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Department.
Goodson attempted to land his helicopter on the landing pad
beside his garage, but the helicopter hit the side of the garage,
Reder said.
Officials took 40 minutes to extract Goodson and Taylor from the
helicopter.
"These guys were in pretty bad shape," Reder said.
As in all aviation crashes, the Federal Aviation Administration
will investigate the accident, Reder said.
---
Information from: St. Petersburg Times, http://www.sptimes.com
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)