Depression and flying

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Pilot intentionally downs Butte-based helicopter into Helena hayfield

By Martin J. Kidston for Lee Montana Newspapers - 02/07/2006



HELENA - A 21-year-old flight instructor from Butte apparently
committed suicide Monday by crashing his company's helicopter into a
Helena hayfield, but only after placing a call to the air traffic
control tower and informing them of his intentions.
The man, identified as Patrick Pfeifhofer, of Italy, was working as a
flight instructor for Silver State Helicopters in Butte on a visa.

The helicopter, a Robinson R-44, crashed off Lincoln Road about three
miles north of the Helena Regional Airport at about 12:17 a.m.

Lewis and Clark Coroner Mickey Nelson said it appeared that Pfeifhofer
intended to kill himself based on a conversation that took place
moments before the crash between him and air traffic controllers.

"It appears he didn't want to hurt anyone,'' Nelson said. "He
stated that in one of his conversations. He said he loved America and
that he didn't want to hurt anyone. It seems likely at this point
that it was a suicide.''

Jerry Airola, president of Silver State Helicopters in Nevada, said
Pfeifhofer's actions had left many saddened and shocked.

"It devastated a lot of people,'' Airola said. "We did a stand
down today. We're not doing any flying. We'll bring in counselors
for those who need to talk about it.''

Airola said Pfeifhofer was an Italian citizen who first began working
for Silver State in Colorado.



He transferred to the Butte office several months ago and had become a
proficient instructor, Airola said.

"It was his birthday yesterday, and he went to a Super Bowl party
where apparently he got in a fight with his girlfriend,'' Airola
said. "They broke up and he went to the airport and took one of the
helicopters.''

Airola said Pfeifhofer attempted to call his girlfriend on his cell
phone, along with his sister in Italy.

Later, Airola said, Pfeifhofer radioed Helena's air traffic control
tower and announced his intentions to commit suicide by crashing the
helicopter into the ground.

"He said 'I love America and I don't want to see anyone get
hurt,''' Airola said. "As an employee, he had access to the
helicopters there in Butte. I think he knew what he was going to do
before he even took off because he moved some of the newer aircraft out
of the way to get to the oldest one.''

Airola said the 1999-model aircraft was valued at around $300,000, much
less than the company's newer models.

Mike Fergus, a public affairs specialist with the Northwest Mountain
Region of the Federal Aviation Administration, confirmed earlier in the
day that the aircraft was in fact registered to Silver State
Helicopters.

The company is based in Nevada and leases an aviation hangar at the
Bert Mooney Airport in Butte where it offers the helicopter flight
school where Pfeifhofer worked as an instructor.

"The helicopter crashed under unknown circumstances 10 miles north of
Helena,'' Fergus said Monday morning, declining to comment on the
crash. "It was destroyed by fire with one person on board.''

Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Cheryl Liedle said the first emergency
call rang in at 12:17 a.m. reporting a fire in the Helena Valley.

It wasn't until deputies arrived at the scene did they realize a
helicopter had crashed about 200 yards from the three houses off
Lincoln Road.

Liedle said the crash sparked a fire that was quickly extinguished by
the West Valley and Lewis and Clark volunteer fire departments.

Others in the valley reported seeing a small fireball in the area of
the crash. One man said his son watched the accident unfold.

"There wasn't much left of the helicopter,'' Liedle said.

Fergus said the National Transportation Safety Board had dispatched an
investigator to the scene from Seattle to examine the crash.

The FAA, he added, would examine any flight anomalies, including the
pilot's rating and his medical history.

Silver State Helicopters employs 450 people in 22 locations and owns
about 180 helicopters, the company said.

Coroner Nelson said Pfeifhofer's body would be sent to the State
Crime Lab in Missoula for an autopsy.

"We're tying to get the family notified over in Italy,'' Nelson
said. "They do it a little different there than we do it here. This
is definitely a different situation.''