Helicopter crash at Xe training site

A fast, light "Little Bird" helicopter crashed Tuesday at the U.S. Training Center, formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide, killing the pilot and injuring a student.

An instructor pilot and the student were flying the Hughes 369-F on a training run at about 1:50 p.m. when the helicopter skid caught on an object and the aircraft flipped over, said Kathleen Bergen, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman.

It's the first fatal accident in the 12-year history of the training center, according to Anne Tyrrell, spokeswoman for the military contractor now known as Xe.

The center and company headquarters, set on a rural campus in northeast North Carolina, offer a variety of civilian and military training on weapons, logistics and security.

The pilot was a full-time Xe employee and the student was an independent contractor for the company, she said. No names have been released.

Bergen said the student was walking after the crash and did not appear to be seriously injured. FAA safety inspectors were at the campus in Camden County near Moyock during the accident, she said. More