NTSB gives details on crash of helicopter
Aircraft hit power lines just before it went down in Granger last month.
Federal investigators released a preliminary report Friday on an Aug. 21 helicopter crash in Granger that left a Jordanian military pilot and his American instructor dead.
The National Transportation Safety Board’s report on the crash, which happened just after 12:15 p.m. in a field near County Road 346 in northwestern Williamson County, confirmed the helicopter hit overhead power lines just before it went down.
First Lt. Ahmed Ali Mohammed Khalif al-Khawaldeh, a 27-yearold fighter pilot from Amman, Jordan, and his flight instructor, 58-year-old Michael Hawley of Dothan, Ala., were the only occupants and were both killed.
Wreckage from the crash was found about 1,500 feet east of the helicopter’s last radar location. At that point, the aircraft was traveling at about 115 mph and 150 feet above the ground.
The cabin of the aircraft came to rest on its side and was consumed by fire. The tail cone and rotor assembly had broken away from the aircraft and were found about 20 feet away, the report said.
A full report will be published when authorities complete their investigation into the crash.
Hawley worked as an instructor pilot for Utility Aviation, a Brunner Aerospace company.
Officials with Brunner Aerospace said the helicopter went down during a flight supporting a U.S. government contract to provide training services.
A U.S. Army spokeswoman told the American-Statesman the pilot training session was part of a foreign military sales package.
In addition to buying hardware, she said, “the country is also purchasing training, spare parts, maintenance, technical documentation, facilities, etc.”
“We are building their readiness to support our military’s readiness. Foreign military sales is not just about the equipment; it is about the capability,” the spokeswoman said in an email. “So, for example, when a partner purchases a helicopter like the MD530F, the ‘total package approach’ is usually implemented with the sale.”
In this case, al-Khawaldeh was in Central Texas attending a two-week emergency procedures refresher course. The contract with Brunner, which is only for Jordanian pilots, allows fewer than 30 pilots to be trained each year.
According to the safety board, the crash happened on the second day of the training, which is based out of Brunner’s facility in Georgetown.
Jordan is a key U.S. ally in the Middle East. The country shares a border with Syria, Israel, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, all of which have substantial American military ties.
According to Reuters, the U.S. also delivered Black Hawk helicopters to Jordan earlier this year to help shore up defenses at its borders and equip soldiers to reach out and hit Islamic State fighters in the region.
“Our hearts go out to both of the families involved,” U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Jeff Drushal said shortly after the crash. “The relationships between our training teams and our foreign partners are particularly close, so this is a devastating loss for of all of us.”