Colfax Sheriff’s Office, Raton Fire and Emergency Services, Colfax County Fire District #8, NM Game and Fish and State Police all responded to a helicopter crash southeast of Raton Wednesday evening, January 17th about 6:00 p.m.
From Staff, Media reports
RATON, N.M. — A leader of an opposition party in Zimbabwe and four other people died in a helicopter crash near the New Mexico-Colorado border, according to federal and state agencies.
Six people were on board the chopper when it went down roughly 15 miles east of the Raton Municipal Airport sometime around 6 p.m. Wednesday, January 17 FAA spokesperson Lynn Lunsford said.
New Mexico State Police Lt. Elizabeth Armijo said Thursday that the pilot, 57-year-old Jamie Coleman Dodd, of Trinidad, Colorado; the co-pilot, 67-year-old Paul Cobb, of Conroe, Texas; 61-year-old Charles Ryland Burnett, of Houston; and Bennett’s wife, 55-year-old Heather Bennett; also died in the crash.
Roy Bennett — a member of the Movement for Democratic Change Party in Zimbabwe — was among the deceased on the private Huey helicopter. The group was heading to Emery Gap Ranch, a property that Bennett bought last year. One person on board survived the crash but has serious injuries, Armijo said. The Associated Press reports the survivor is Andra Cobb, who is Burnett’s girlfriend and Paul Cobb’s daughter.
One of the victims called a 911 dispatcher in Raton to report the crash but was not sure where the helicopter went down. Several agencies began looking for the wreckage, but Armijo said the terrain made it difficult.
“Response was slow due to the area being extremely remote with rugged terrain and limited road access,” she said. “Wreckage was spotted in a rancher’s property east of Raton. A grass fire had burned the area of approximately a mile radius around the crash site.”
When officers found the site, Armijo said the helicopter was engulfed in flame. They initially found three deceased people at the site of the crash while two of the men alive in critical condition. One later died at the scene while the other died while being airlifted to a hospital.
Armijo said the helicopter left Raton after fueling at the Raton Airport and was bound for Folsom about 37 miles away. So far, investigators do not know what caused the aircraft to crash.
As an MDC-T Party member, Roy Bennett was jailed in 2004 for assaulting a cabinet minister and again in 2009 for campaigning against former Zimbabwe dictator Robert Mugabe. When Bennett was released, he fled to South Africa where he was given political asylum.
Nelson Chamisa, a co-vice president for the MDC-T Party, expressed his sadness on Twitter.
Initially, several international media organizations had erroneously reported the crash occurred in Canada.
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into what caused the crash.
Here’s more about the prominent people on board:
CHARLES RYLAND BURNETT III, 61
Born in England, Burnett was an investor and philanthropist with links to a wide range of businesses.
Burnett was based in Houston and listed as an officer in dozens of companies registered with the Texas secretary of state’s office. The Guardian newspaper reported in 2009 that he drove a steam-powered car at an average speed of 139.8 miles per hour (225 kilometers per hour), setting a world record.
He purchased the Emery Gap Ranch, a sprawling, mountainous property on the Colorado-New Mexico border, in February 2017.
He was in a long-term relationship with Andra Cobb, the only survivor of the crash and daughter of Paul Cobb, who was the co-pilot of the helicopter. Burnett was friends with the elder Cobb and the others aboard.
PAUL COBB, 67
He was shot down while flying a helicopter in the Vietnam War, according to his wife, Martha. He went on to serve as a police officer for three decades in the Houston suburb of Pasadena, Texas, rising to police chief until his retirement in 2004.
Cobb flew a historic Vietnam-era helicopter during an event to celebrate the Fourth of July in 2016, according to Houston television station KTRK. Martyn Hill, Burnett’s personal attorney, described Cobb as an experienced, cautious pilot who had “survived many battles.”
JAMIE COLEMAN DODD, 57
He was a decorated search and rescue pilot who plucked people to safety in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and during one flood season, rented a helicopter on his day off to help rescue dogs stranded on rooftops.
J.C., as he was known as, received the national “Jeep Hero” award in 2006 for his search and rescue efforts. He donated the award, a new Jeep Commander, to a nonprofit organization that helps the homeless, according to the website of the New Mexico Military Institute, where he went in the mid- to late 1970s. He had worked as Burnett’s private pilot at the Emery Gap Ranch,
He enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserves in 1979. Dodd transferred to the Army’s Warrant Officer Flight School in 1983 and was later assigned to Howard Air Force Base in Panama, flying medical evacuation missions throughout Central and South America, according to New Mexico Military Institute website.
Dodd moved back and joined the California Highway Patrol in 1990, where he was a search and rescue helicopter pilot. He was inducted into the institute’s Hall of Fame in October 2010.
Special to KRTN
Raton, NM – Around 6:00 p.m. on January 17, 2018, Raton, New Mexico Police Department (RPD) dispatch contacted New Mexico State Police regarding a call of a downed helicopter. RPD received a 911 call from a victim in the crash who reported the incident. The victim informed dispatch there were six people aboard the helicopter when it crashed. The caller reported three were injured and the other three unaccounted for. The exact location of the crash was uncertain.
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NTSB Preliminary Report of Crash
National Transportation Safety Board
Aviation Accident Preliminary Report
| Location: | Raton, NM | Accident Number: | CEN18FA078 |
| Date & Time: | 01/17/2018, 1800 MST | Registration: | N658H |
| Aircraft: | BELL UH-1H | Injuries: | 5 Fatal, 1 Serious |
| Flight Conducted Under: | Part 91: General Aviation – Personal | ||
On January 17, 2018, about 1800 mountain standard time, N658H, registered as a Bell UH-1H helicopter, impacted terrain near Raton, New Mexico. A ground fire and explosion subsequently occurred. The commercial pilot, pilot rated passenger, and three other passengers were fatally injured. One passenger sustained serious injuries. The helicopter was destroyed during the impact and ground fire. The helicopter was registered to and operated by Sapphire Aviation LLC as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed in the area about the time of the accident, and the flight was not operated on a flight plan. The flight originated from the Raton Municipal Airport/Crews Field (RTN), near Raton, New Mexico about 1750 and was destined for Folsom, New Mexico.
According to a statement taken by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspectors, the passenger said that the purpose of the helicopter flight was to take the group to a personal function in Folsom, New Mexico. The passenger indicated that they were in level flight and recalled a big bang as the helicopter hit the ground. After ground contact, the helicopter rolled forward coming to a stop upside down. The passenger was hanging from the seat belt, the door was not present, and jet fuel was pouring on her. The seat belt was released by the passenger who subsequently evacuated the helicopter. The helicopter was on fire and subsequent explosions followed. The passenger called 9-1-1 and waited for emergency responders.
The pilot held an FAA commercial pilot certificate with airplane single engine land, rotorcraft helicopter, and instrument helicopter ratings. He held an FAA second-class medical certificate issued on December 7, 2017. This pilot reported on the application for his medical certificate that he had accumulated 6,416 hours of total flight time and 44 hours in the six months before the examination.
The pilot rated passenger held an FAA commercial pilot certificate with a rotorcraft helicopter rating. He held an FAA second-class medical certificate issued on December 11, 2017. This pilot reported on the application for his medical certificate that he had accumulated 3,140 hours of total flight time and 30 hours in the six months before the examination.
N658H, was registered as a Bell UH-1H, helicopter with serial no. 67-17658. However, the current type certificate holder for that serial number is Rotorcraft Development Corporation. The accident helicopter was a single-engine helicopter powered by a Honeywell (formerly Lycoming) T53-L-703 turbo shaft engine with serial number LE-10462Z, which drove a two-bladed main rotor system and a two-bladed tail rotor. T53 engines are a two-spool engine. The gas generator spool consists of a five-stage axial compressor followed by a single-stage centrifugal compressor, and a two-stage high pressure turbine. The power turbine spool consists of two stages. The engine has a maximum continuous rating of 1,300 shaft horsepower at an output shaft speed of 6,634 rpm.
At 1753, the recorded weather at RTN was: Wind 030° at 10 kts; visibility 10 statute miles; sky condition clear; temperature 1° C; dew point -18° C; altimeter 30.26 inches of mercury. According to U.S. Naval Observatory Sun and Moon Data, the end of local civil twilight was 1735 and local moonset was at 1754. The observatory characterized the phase of the moon as “waxing crescent with 0% of the moon’s visible disk illuminated.”
The main wreckage (fuselage) came to rest on a flat mesa at the top of rising terrain about 10.7 nautical miles and 102° from RTN, on a heading about 15° magnetic. The area around the main wreckage was discolored and charred, consistent with a postaccident ground fire. The elevation in the area of the main wreckage was about 6,932 ft above mean sea level (msl).
The initial observed point of terrain contact was a parallel pair of ground scars, consistent with the width of skids, which led directly to the main wreckage on a 074° magnetic bearing. The elevation of this point was about 6,933 ft msl. The distance from the start of the parallel ground scars to the wreckage was about 474 ft. Proceeding from the end of the 330-ft parallel ground scars, 18 ft further down range, was a 25 ft long blade slap ground scar perpendicular to the path of travel, followed by the entire main rotor about 60 ft further down range. The tail rotor and tail rotor gear box were resting nearby. The helicopter’s main wreckage was located 66 ft further down range, upside down, with the entire cabin section between the cockpit and tail boom having been destroyed by fire.
Examination of the wreckage revealed that sections of the helicopter exhibited damage consistent with overload, deformation, thermal damage, and consumption by fire.
The engine compressor cases, accessory gearbox housing, and inlet housing were consumed by fire. The output reduction carrier and gear assembly, which attaches to the inlet housing, was intact and recovered as a loose component. Gears within the accessory gearbox were recovered as loose components. There were no penetrations of the combustor plenum. The exhaust tail pipe was disassembled from the engine while on scene to gain access and photo document the second-stage of the power turbine. There were metal spray deposits on the suction side of the second-stage power turbine stator vanes. There was no damage to leading edge of either the second-stage power turbine stator vanes or the second-stage power turbine rotor blades.
Autopsies on the pilot and pilot rated passenger were requested.
A cellphone and an I-pad were retained and shipped to the National Transportation Safety Board Recorder Laboratory to see if they contain data pertinent to the accident.
| Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information | |||
| Aircraft Manufacturer: | BELL | Registration: | N658H |
| Model/Series: | UH-1H | Aircraft Category: | Helicopter |
| Amateur Built: | No | ||
| Operator: | SAPPHIRE AVIATION LLC | Operating Certificate(s) Held: | None |
| Meteorological Information and Flight Plan | |||
| Conditions at Accident Site: | Visual Conditions | Condition of Light: | Night |
| Observation Facility, Elevation: | KRTN, 6349 ft msl | Observation Time: | 1753 MST |
| Distance from Accident Site: | 11 Nautical Miles | Temperature/Dew Point: | 1°C / -18°C |
| Lowest Cloud Condition: | Clear | Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: | 10 knots, 30° |
| Lowest Ceiling: | None | Visibility | 10 Miles |
| Altimeter Setting: | 30.26 inches Hg | Type of Flight Plan Filed: | None |
| Departure Point: | RATON, NM (RTN) | Destination: | Folsom, NM |
| Wreckage and Impact Information | |||
| Crew Injuries: | 2 Fatal | Aircraft Damage: | Destroyed |
| Passenger Injuries: | 3 Fatal, 1 Serious | Aircraft Fire: | On-Ground |
| Ground Injuries: | N/A | Aircraft Explosion: | On-Ground |
| Total Injuries: | 5 Fatal, 1 Serious | Latitude, Longitude: | 36.704444, -104.286667 (est) |
| Administrative Information | |
| Investigator In Charge (IIC): | Edward F Malinowski |
| Additional Participating Persons: | Steve Poiani; Federal Aviation Administration; Albuquerque, NM
Marlin J Kruse; Honeywell Aerospace; Phoenix, AZ Fred Hodgdon; Rotorcraft Development Corporation; Hamilton, MT |
| Note: | The NTSB traveled to the scene of this accident. |
Is anyone able to tell us why they were in the area? Did Mr.Burnett own property in the area? Is it true he was developing a Hunting & Helicopters resort?