Pilot in Smokies fatal helicopter crash wasn't supposed to fly, so how did he get in the air?
The pilot in last month's fatal helicopter crash in the Great Smoky Mountains had been ordered not to leave the state of Utah or pilot an aircraft due to ongoing allegations of wire fraud and operating as a pilot without proper certification.
But Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson Crystal Essiaw told Knox News by email that the FAA "does not routinely receive notifications about such court orders" and it is the responsibility of customers to share this type of information about themselves when renting an aircraft.
Knox News asked Essiaw questions generally about court orders against pilots and how the FAA might use them — not about this specific incident.
'Those are hills': NTSB report shows pilot ignored safety warnings before Smokies crash
Documents outline pilot's restrictions
Matthew Jones, 35, of Utah, was told multiple times Dec. 29 he should not fly the Robinson R44 II helicopter he was because of the threat of hazardous weather conditions in the Smokies, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.
The report shows Jones ignored those warnings and later crashed, killing 36-year-old Julianne Gerritsen, identified by the Sevier County Sheriff's Office as Jones' partner.
Jones was indicted Oct. 13 in the U.S. District Court of Utah for operating as an airman, defined by the court as a pilot and certified flight instructor, without proper FAA certification.
The indictment claims Jones opened a joint bank account with an unidentified individual to pay for that person's son to take flight lessons. Instead of using the account to fund flight lessons, the indicting document claims he stole nearly $10,000 for rent, ATM withdrawals, cell phone bills and personal purchases.
An order of release filed Nov. 16 included stipulations that Jones could not be employed as a flight instructor, fly any type of aircraft or leave Utah without permission from a pretrial officer.
Essiaw said requirements outlined in court orders "are independent from an FAA action against a pilot certificate" and that businesses renting small aircraft might not be aware of court orders against pilots.
FAA records show Jones had a commercial pilot's license to operate helicopters at the time of the crash.
Knox News could not locate Jones to seek comment.
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Pilot when warned: 'Those are hills'
Just before the crash, the National Weather Service in Morristown, Tennessee, issued a hazardous weather outlook. The alert, issued for several counties, including Sevier and Cocke, warned about potential thunderstorms, damaging winds and tornadoes.
The crash happened near the Sevier County and Cocke County line after Jones took off from the Gatlinburg Pigeon Forge Airport.
FAA records show Jones has an instrument helicopter rating, which allows pilots to rely on instrumentation to navigate when skies are not clear. However, flight tracking provider FlightAware does not show an instrument flight rules plan was submitted for the Dec. 29 flight.
Prior to takeoff, someone even showed Jones a book from the training room that included "controlled flight into terrain" crashes that had happened in the area.
His response? "Those are hills," according to the report.
Jones also was not allowed to use or possess products containing THC, but a pretrial officer thinks Jones violated this condition Dec. 5, according to a court document filed eight days before the crash.
The court then issued a summons for Jones.
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Utah trial scheduled for pilot
A court document filed Jan. 13 show Jones was arrested in East Tennessee following the crash and was scheduled to be transported to Utah by U.S. Marshals.
One week after the crash, Jones was granted a continuance of his trial from Jan. 24 to April 25.
The NTSB report is preliminary, and the agency's investigation is ongoing.
Ryan Wilusz: Knoxville's downtown explorer and urban reporter
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Utah pilot in fatal Smokies helicopter crash had orders not to fly
