Helicopter crash victim identified

The man who died Monday in the Fort Rucker helicopter crash near Hartford on Monday is 55-year-old James Frederick Elliott, the Dothan Eagle has learned.

Max Motley, the Geneva County coroner, told the Eagle that Elliott of Geneva, initially appears to have died from injuries he suffered in the crash. Motley said an autopsy will still be performed. Motley said Elliott was a civilian instructor pilot who was apparently working with a student at the time of the crash Monday afternoon.

“I’ve been to some privately owned airplane crashes as coroner, but this is the first military aircraft I’ve dealt with. It’s the first helicopter crash I’ve worked as coroner,” Motley said. “It looked like it was made of an aluminum beer can because it was so crumpled up.”

Authorities are trying to determine what caused the Army training helicopter to crash in the middle of a field. According to Fort Rucker officials, the crash happened around 3:30 p.m. near Highfalls and High Bluff stage fields near Hartford. Another pilot on board was taken by medevac helicopter to a local hospital with injuries not believed to be life threatening.

The TH-67 is used for the initial entry training for new helicopter pilots. All Army helicopter pilots complete training at Fort Rucker.

The helicopter fatality is the first at Fort Rucker since 2007, when instructor pilot John Bolling died of injuries sustained in a UH-60 Black Hawk accident near Opp. Three crew members escaped with minor injuries.