Couple safe after helicopter crash

QUINCY - A helicopter pilot and his passenger were unhurt when their experimental helicopter crashed Wednesday afternoon, July 4, near Quincy.

At about 5 p.m. on the 4th, Robert and Gail Omlin, both 61, of Quincy, were flying a 2010 Exec 162F experimental helicopter and testing the attachment of a U.S. flag secured to the skids of the aircraft.

Robert Omlin told deputies he believes the flag came loose and became caught in the tail rotor. The helicopter, traveling about 65 mph at an altitude of 200 feet, began to lose power and shudder violently.

Robert Omlin was forced to make a hard landing in a wheat field near the 8400 block of County Road P NW, just east of Quincy. The helicopter sustained moderate damage.

The FAA is investigating.

- Staff report