Two troopers killed in chopper crash near Va. rally
Two Virginia State Troopers died in a helicopter crash near Charlottesville, Va., during a violent protest near the University of Virginia on Saturday.
Lt. H. Jay Cullen, 48, was piloting a Bell 407 helicopter over Charlottesville just before 5 p.m. Saturday when the helicopter crashed, killing Cullen and Trooper-Pilot Berke M.M. Bates, 40. The helicopter crashed in a wooded area, according to the Virginia State Police, and no one on the ground was injured.
An investigation into the crash is being conducted by the Virginia State Police, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. There was no indication of foul play, according to the Virginia State Police.
Cullen was serving as the commander of the Virginia State Police Aviation Unit when he died. He had served with the agency for 23 years.
Bates served on Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s executive protection team for about three years, according to his brother Craig. Bates joined the Virginia State Police Aviation Unit in late July. Bates leaves behind a wife and two children.
Virginia State Police Superintendent Col. W. Steven Flaherty said on the agency’s Facebook page that the crash was “a tremendous loss to our agency and the Commonwealth.”