PALM BAY, Fla. – Authorities on Wednesday confirmed the identities of two people who were killed last week in a fiery helicopter crash in Palm Bay.
Brevard County officials identified Jason Dunnam, 41, and Bill Nesbitt, 54, as the two other people who were killed in the Sept. 6 accident involving the Sikorsky S-61N helicopter. The pilot was identified Tuesday, News 6 partner Florida Today reported.
Authorities had tentative names but used dental and medical records to confirm the identities of the men, all employees of AAR Airlift. The company has a hangar at Orlando Melbourne International Airport. Officials said that the helicopter was on a post-maintenance test flight when the 1974 aircraft crashed in a remote field in a mostly rural area of Palm Bay..
The body of Greggory Cluff, 57, a retired Utah National Guard master aviator with more than 6,000 hours of flight experience, was found in the pilot’s seat of the aircraft. Dunnam was identified as the co-pilot.
The helicopter crashed after hovering about 100 feet off the ground. The three filed a flight plan before leaving Orlando Melbourne International Airport.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident.