TOBYHANNA - Two men died when their helicopter crashed into state gamelands amid fog and rain over the Poconos late Tuesday.
William Ellsworth, 52, of Califon, N.J., was piloting the helicopter and was on the way back from Elmira, N.Y., before the crash that killed him and his front-seat passenger, Tighe Sullivan, 51, of Darien, Conn., occurred about 8 p.m. Tuesday.
A second passenger, Stephen Barral, Bernardsville, N.J., survived the Monroe County crash and was talking when Pocono Mountain police Sgt. Scott Dunlap found him about 2:30 a.m. He was initially transported to Pocono Medical Center and then transferred to Lehigh Valley Medical Center because of the severity of his injuries.
Officials draped yellow police tape on a set of trees along Interstate 380, blocking access to a wooded path leading to the crash site about 100 yards off the highway. Coolbaugh fire officials stationed themselves and a fire truck near the path for the better part of Wednesday.
The discovery of the helicopter took so long - more than four hours after it was reported missing - because of the heavily wooded area near Interstate 380 where it crashed.
An initial search after the 10 p.m. report of a missing helicopter near the Mount Pocono Airport proved unsuccessful, according to Pocono Mountain Regional Police.
The helicopter had changed course from its route to the New York City area to the airport after encountering fog and rain in the Poconos, police said. Earlier information from police indicated the helicopter dropped off a passenger in Wilkes-Barre, however, Pocono Mountain Regional Police Chief Harry W. Lewis said the only stop made was in Elmira. The name of the passenger dropped off in Elmira was not known by police.
Peter Knudson, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board, said the helicopter hit trees as it approached the airport and crashed.
The crash site was within a mile of the airport, Lewis said.
The helicopter - owned by ACS Helicopters LLC in Far Hills, N.J. - initially left Elmira, N.Y., where its passengers had gone for a golf outing, police said. Efforts to reach the company were unsuccessful.
The helicopter's eventual discovery came with the help of the U.S. Air Force and GPS technology that tracked Mr. Barral's cellphone signal to the area of mile marker 5.7 on I-380, police said.
The two deceased men were removed by the Monroe County Coroner's office and will undergo autopsies in the next two days.
Lila Sullivan, 17, one of Mr. Sullivan's three teenage children, recalled her father's playful spirit and enthusiasm for life Wednesday afternoon, noting his love for the outdoors, biking, running and traveling the world with his family.
He and his wife, Callie, would have celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary this year, Lila said.
Mr. Sullivan was the chief operating officer of the New York City-based company WCAS Fraser Sullivan Investment Management LLC, she said. A Colgate University graduate, he was a spirited and generous man who lived life to the fullest, Lila said.
"He was eccentric to say the least," she said with a laugh.
Attempts to reach Mr. Ellsworth's family were unsuccessful Wednesday night.
NTSB air safety investigator Todd Gunther responded to the scene and said he and his team will be conducting an investigation throughout the week.
The ACS helicopter is a Bell 407 model, according to the Federal Aviation Authority registry.
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