Wealthy New York businessman Gary Johnson dies after his helicopter crashed – as shocking reason for aircraft malfunction is revealed
A New York businessman has died in a helicopter crash after wasps built a nest in the gas tank vent, causing the engine to sputter and causing him to fall from the sky.
Gary Johnson, 65, of Carthage, was at the controls of his private Schweizer 269C helicopter when disaster struck just 15 minutes into the flight on July 27.
The crash occurred around 11:15 a.m., seriously injuring Johnson. He was taken to Carthage Area Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Investigators identified the culprit as a nest built by mud daubers in the helicopter’s fuel tank vent tube.
The wasps caused his helicopter to sputter and fall from the sky, killing Johnson.
Gary Johnson, 65, of Carthage was at the controls of his private Schweizer 269C helicopter when disaster struck just 15 minutes into his flight on July 27.
The helicopter plunged 50 feet into a swamp and crashed behind a commercial site he was developing about 70 miles northeast of Syracuse.
A neighbor in West Carthage, New York, witnessed the horrific moment.
They told investigators that Johnson was hovering about 50 feet (15 meters) above the site when the spacecraft’s engine began to “sputter.”
The National Transportation Safety Board report, released Aug. 2, said 11 gallons of fuel were found in the tank, but that the fuel “flowed sporadically…indicating a lack of venting.”
NTSB lead investigator Robert Gretz wrote, “After all the fuel was drained, the metal fuel vent tube was examined with a borescope and a blockage was observed in the tube,” HNGN reported.
“The vent tube was then removed from the tank and the debris was removed using compressed air and a metal wire. The debris was consistent with a mud dauber nest,” he added.
It was later confirmed that the blockage was ‘consistent with a nest of mud wasps.’
Investigators identified the culprit as a nest built by mud wasps in the vent tube of the helicopter’s gas tank
Johnson had not flown his Schweizer 269C helicopter in the three weeks leading up to the fatal crash, his brother told investigators.
Mud wasps, dark-colored wasps known for building nests in unused machinery, had taken advantage of the helicopter’s three-week absence.
Johnson, a well-known local figure, owned and operated a gas station and auto repair shop in Carthage since 1976.
He also owned several rental properties and, together with his daughter, was busy renovating the Sahara Restaurant in Wilna.
“Gary Richard Johnson, 65, a beloved son, brother, father, grandfather, uncle and friend, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, July 27, 2024, while doing what he loved most – flying helicopters,” his obituary reads.