1978 — Sep 4, Helicopter Crash onto Churchyard Festival (all 8 on ground), Derry, PA– 8

–8 Trib Live, Pittsburgh. “Victims, families recall ’78 helicopter crash in Derry.” 4-29-2012.
–7 Flying Magazine. “Reporting Points.” Dec 1978, p. 102.

Narrative Information

Flying Magazine: “On September 4, a Hughes 269C [N74669] that was overflying a church carnival in Derry, Pennsylvania crashed in the churchyard, killing seven people on the ground and injuring 18. None of the three occupants of the helicopter was injured. The pilot, who had 60 hours of helicopter time on her private license, had been hired to drop several hundred Ping Pong balls on the crowd. On its last pass, from an altitude of about 200 feet, say witnesses, the Hughes settled into the crowd. According to preliminary NTSB findings, there is no obvious evidence of mechanical failure.” (Flying Magazine. “Reporting Points.” Dec 1978, p. 102.)

Trib Live: “….The helicopter was supposed to be the highlight of the annual festival. It was a new addition, designed to bring in a crowd and help raise money for the parish school…. the Rev. John Wilt hired Nelson’s Helicopters of West Mifflin for the contest [gathering ping pong balls]…

“Allison [husband of victim Mary Lou Allison] said everything seemed fine until the second pass over the festival. The helicopter’s engine stopped. Pilot Pamela Nelson tried to ease the craft away from the people. ‘She guided it to the corner, but the fence caught her and it brought her down, and that’s what killed the people — the blades came down,’ Allison said….

“….it [helicopter] came down onto the bake sale booth….

“A coroner’s inquest determined that Pamela Nelson was not criminally negligent for the accident. But the NTSB said pilot error was at the heart of it. Nelson was simply flying too low, officials said. However, a worn part on the throttle may have made the helicopter difficult to control, investigations revealed….

“Eight people died when a helicopter flying over the St. Joseph Catholic Church Fair in Derry crashed into a crowd on Labor Day 1978:

• Mary Lou Allison, 46, of Derry, a homemaker and mother of three. She was there to watch her husband and daughter drop the ping-pong balls from the helicopter at their parish’s festival.

• Tammy Barchesky, 13, of Derry, a ninth-grade student at Derry Area Junior High School and a saxophone player in the school’s marching band. She survived 15 days before succumbing to her injuries.

• Edward “Tim” Deglau, 32, of Derry, a husband and father of two young children who worked as a ninth-grade math teacher at Derry Area Junior High. He was a Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War.

• Gertrude Gray, 54, and her daughter, Darlene, 13, of Unity. Their husband and father, Joseph Gray, had died seven months earlier. The Grays were members of St. Vincent Basilica. Darlene was a freshman at Greater Latrobe High School.

• Irene Maloy, 53, of Derry, a parish member. She was volunteering in a bake sale booth when the helicopter crashed on top of it. A wife and mother, she worked as a store clerk and bookkeeper and was active in church and community organizations.

• Parece Smith, 14, of Derry, a ninth-grade student at Derry Area Junior High who played bells in the school marching band. She was a member of Derry Presbyterian Church.

• Lois Joy Weidenhoff, 51, of Kittanning Township, a wife and mother of one son. She attended the festival after seeing a poster for it at the Indiana County Fair.

Sources

Flying Magazine. “Reporting Points [Dover, PA Helicopter Crash, Church Festival].” Dec 1978, 102. At: http://books.google.com/books?id=zIGG8jPKKRAC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Trib Live (Jennifer Reeger), Pittsburgh. “Victims, families recall ’78 helicopter crash in Derry.” 4-29-2012. Accessed 10-3-2021 at: https://archive.triblive.com/news/victims-families-recall-78-helicopter-crash-in-derry/