Pilot error is to blame for a helicopter crash that killed country-music star Troy Gentry last year, the National Transportation Safety Board made public Tuesday.
Gentry, 50, and his pilot died in the Sept. 8 crash in Medford, New Jersey. The pair were on board the aircraft when it crashed near the runway of the Flying W Airport & Resort, a small airport and entertainment area.
Eddie Mongtomery, the other half of the duo, was at the airport waiting for Gentry to arrive when the crash occurred, the Cherry Hill Courier-Post reported.
According to the two-page report, several minutes after takeoff, the pilot reported to the airport he was “unable to control engine rpm with throttle inputs.”
“The pilots early entry into and failure to maintain rotor rpm during a forced landing autorotation after performing an engine shutdown in flight, which resulted in an uncontrolled descent,” the report reads. “Contributing to the accident was the failure of maintenance personnel to properly rig the throttle control tie-rod assembly.”
In autorotation, the helicopters blades are turned by the air moving up through the rotor during descent.
Gentry was born in Lexington, Ky., but lived in Nashville. He was married with two children.
Montgomery Gentry broke into the country scene in 1999 with hit “Hillbilly Shoes” and won CMA Vocal Duo of the Year in 2000. The duo went on to have hits including “My Town,” “Something to Be Proud Of,” “Where I Come From” and “Gone.” They were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2009.
Over the course of the duo’s career, Montgomery Gentry released 11 albums, including a greatest hits package and an album that was unique to Cracker Barrel. They charted at least five No. 1 songs, including “Roll with Me” and “Lucky Man.”
Troy, who was 50 at the time, was one half of the country duo Montgomery Gentry. His bandmate, Eddie Montgomery, was at the airport during the crash, as the duo was scheduled to perform that night.
According to the NTSB, the pilot, who also died, cut the engine too soon as he tried to make an emergency landing. The pilot error led to an uncontrolled descent that sent the helicopter crashing into the woods.
Shortly after takeoff the pilot reported that he could not control the engine. Experts on the ground suggested a shallow, run-on landing—similar to an airplane approaching a runway on a gradual horizontal plane—but the pilot instead attempted a power-off autorotation, a maneuver in which he cut the engine and tried to glide in. The experts stressed the need to wait until the helicopter was over the runway before turning off the engine, but investigators concluded the pilot did so too far out. The NTSB also said the maintenance crew’s failure to rig the throttle control assembly before the flight contributed to the crash.
Montgomery Gentry was formed in 1999. The duo found success with songs such as “My Town,” “If You Ever Stopped Loving Me,” “Something to Be Proud Of,” “Gone,” and “Back When I Knew It All.”
The National Transportation Safety Board released a final report regarding the death of Troy Gentry, who was killed in a helicopter crash on Sept. 8, 2017, at the Flying W Airport in Medford, New Jersey.
Gentry is survived by his two daughters, Kaylee and Taylor, and his wife, Angie McClure, who he married in 1999.
Troy Gentry, half of the popular country duo Montgomery Gentry, died in a helicopter crash on Friday in New Jersey, his label confirmed. He was 50.
The Kentucky-based duo formed in the late ’90s, and is perhaps best known for their hit “My Town,” along with other singles like “Hillbilly Shoes” and “Headlights.” They were named duo of the year by both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association in 2000, and were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2009.
“I think it’s just where we come from, and our parents were very proud and raised us to be that way,” he said. “Of course when you’re coming up through the honky tonks and VFW clubs and stuff like that, you see a lot of our American heroes, and you see the working class people coming in, and even the boys and girls going to school coming in and hanging out. I reckon we’re kind of their voice. They want us to know and want us to sing about it. They’ll tell us a story and say, ‘Hey, man, can you write a song about it?’ or ‘This is what happened to me,’ and we’ll find those kinds of songs.”
The two longtime collaborators always wanted to make it clear that Montgomery Gentry was not a duo that was put together by the industry, a la the popular perception of Brooks & Dunn. “After artists come to Nashville, then (the labels) put duos together,” said Montgomery. “See, we were friends before we were ever a duo — and so that’s different, I reckon — lifetime friends, man, hanging out together.”
Gentry, 50, and his pilot died in the Sept. 8 crash in Medford, New Jersey. The pair were on board the aircraft when it crashed near the runway of the Flying W Airport & Resort, a small airport and entertainment area.
Pilot error is to blame for a helicopter crash that killed country-music star Troy Gentry last year, the National Transportation Safety Board made public Tuesday.
“The pilots early entry into and failure to maintain rotor rpm during a forced landing autorotation after performing an engine shutdown in flight, which resulted in an uncontrolled descent,” the report reads. “Contributing to the accident was the failure of maintenance personnel to properly rig the throttle control tie-rod assembly.”
Over the course of the duo’s career, Montgomery Gentry released 11 albums, including a greatest hits package and an album that was unique to Cracker Barrel. They charted at least five No. 1 songs, including “Roll with Me” and “Lucky Man.”
Gentry was born in Lexington, Ky., but lived in Nashville. He was married with two children.
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