Report on Deadly Helicopter Crash in Nuevo Due out Next Week

NUEVO (CNS) – Federal investigators are expected next week to issue preliminary findings connected to a helicopter crash in Nuevo that killed the pilot and his passenger.

Mark Clayton Carter, 61, and Dennis Lee Foster, 62, both of Murrieta, were fatally injured about 12:15 p.m. on March 24 when the Bell 407 helicopter that the men were in went down on a hillside along the eastern edge of Nuevo, in the area of Chastity and Pulsar View roads.

The National Transportation Safety Board said in an email to City News Service that the preliminary investigation is nearing completion, and the initial report is slated for publication between April 25 and April 29.

The NTSB generally releases preliminary findings within a couple of weeks, but according to the agency, "some preliminary reports take longer" due to circumstances.

Federal Aviation Administration records show that only Carter held a rotorcraft pilot’s license, and he had undergone his last aero-medical exam in October. It was unknown whether he owned the seven-seat helicopter, had leased or borrowed it.

No information was available regarding Foster.

The turbine-driven Bell 407 is often used in short-haul transportation, utility operations and law enforcement.

The purpose of the ill-fated flight, including its point or origin and planned destination, will be disclosed in the pending preliminary report.

The helicopter was completely destroyed on impact.

A Riverside County sheriff’s STAR-9 helicopter crew was the first to reach the crash site. It was unclear whether the two-man crew witnessed the accident, heard distress calls from the pilot or went to the site in response to reports from people on the ground.

Cal Fire personnel hiked to the location, where paramedics pronounced both Carter and Foster dead at the scene.

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