A couple died in a helicopter crash; the completed investigation is adding to the mystery

GREENVILLE — Investigators have completed their investigation into a helicopter crash that killed a Darke County couple last year.

On June 7, emergency response crews responded to Hogpath Road between U.S. 127 and State Route 49 after an Enstrom F28 helicopter crashed. Charles and Krista Zimmer were both in the helicopter at the time of the crash and died as a result of it.

>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Greenville man planned to fly helicopter in for maintenance day of deadly crash, preliminary NTSB report shows

In a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report on the crash completed this week, investigators said the cause of the crash “could not be determined.”

Impact marks from the crash site showed that the helicopter hit the ground “hard in a near-vertical descent.” After the impact, a fire broke out and consumed the cockpit area, including the engine and both fuel tanks, the NTSB stated.

“Post accident examination of the engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation,” investigators wrote.

Charles, 34, owned the helicopter and used it for agricultural spraying on his family farm. He stored it in a private hangar roughly three miles from his home. As reported in a preliminary report from the NTSB, around 9:25 a.m. on June 7, the couple was seen on surveillance video leaving the hangar in the helicopter. The spray equipment had been removed from the helicopter.

Witnesses said they saw the helicopter flying in the area before the crash, which was reported at the couple’s residence around 9:40 a.m. There were no witnesses to the crash itself and Charles was not in contact with air traffic control, He also didn’t file a flight plan, according to investigators.

The pilot’s flight instructor told investigators that Charles planned to fly to Lebanon that day for scheduled maintenance. Krista, 35, was going to drive down and pick him up after dropping off the helicopter.

>> PHOTOS: Deadly helicopter crash under investigation in Darke County

“The instructor was not sure why the pilot and passenger were operating the helicopter at their home that morning,” the report stated.

The instructor also told investigators that he flew the helicopter about a week before the crash and noted it “flew better than ever.”

In an examination of the wreckage, the No. 4 outer exhaust valve spring was found to be broken, but investigators noted there were no indications that it would have contributed to an engine issue.

Krista died at the scene of the crash. Charles was rescued from the helicopter by bystanders and deputies and flown to Miami Valley Hospital, where he died two days later.

Toxicology testing was done on Charles, but only found medications that were administered post-accident.

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