The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of a fiery helicopter crash that claimed the lives of four persons, including the son of a Howard County elections official.
State police said a four-seat Robinson R44 copter crashed on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 about 10 miles east of Hagerstown around 10:30 p.m. Thursday after it struck power lines.
The aircraft's cockpit was engulfed by fire when emergency crews arrived at the crash site. The pilot and three passengers onboard were pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities identified the pilot as Jeffrey D. Nordaas, 24, of the 9700 block of Owen Brown Road in Columbia, the youngest son of Betty Nordaas, Howard County's elections administrator.
Also killed were two other employees of Advanced Helicopter Concepts: George H. Tutor Jr., 39, of the 100 block of Opal Ave. in Westminster and Niall R.Y. Booth, 43, of the 6900 block of Meadowpoint Terrace in New Market; and a female passenger, Kim R. Felix, 48, of the 6700 block of Balmoral Ridge, also in New Market.
Advanced Helicopter Concepts is based in Frederick, and the employees and Felix were returning home after spending the day offering helicopter rides to help raise money for troubled youth, family members said.
One of the company's instructors, Gary Smith, said the company had suffered a "huge loss."
Nordaas "was training to be a pilot most of his life," said his half brother, Michael Hart of Sykesville.
Hart said Nordaas' father, Arnstein Nordaas, is also a pilot, and he was on his way home from Norway, where he does search-and-rescue flights over the North Sea.
Hart said Advanced Helicopter was providing 20-minute flights between Hagerstown and Frederick all day Thursday as a way to help raise money for children's charities.
"He was a great brother," said Hart, who is 18 years older. "We played a lot of golf. We went fishing a lot."
Family members said Nordaas grew up in Columbia but went to a private high school, the Kent School in Connecticut, to play ice hockey. He was a 2008 graduate of St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn.
"He's been home with his nieces and nephews, who absolutely love him to death," Hart said.
"You couldn't have asked for a more responsible individual. He was so excited to do this charity event yesterday."
George H. Tutor Sr., the father of one of the victims and a DuBois, Pa., resident, said his son had only recently started working for Advanced Helicopter.
