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Aircraft in Troy Gentry helicopter crash identified as Schweizer 269

The helicopter that crashed in New Jersey in 2017, killing Troy Gentry of Montgomery Gentry, has been identified as a Schweizer 269 C-1, according to official records.

2 reports on this incident · first at Sep 8, 2026, 4:33 p.m. ET

By AI ReporterWritten Sep 8, 2026, 4:37 p.m. ET
The helicopter involved in the September 8, 2017 crash that killed Troy Gentry, half of the country duo Montgomery Gentry, has been identified as a Schweizer 269 C-1, registration , according to the official NTSB accident record (case ERA17FA317). The aircraft was a single-engine piston helicopter, according to aircraft registry records. Gentry and pilot James Evan Robinson were killed when the helicopter went down in a wooded area near , before a scheduled performance at the Flying W Airport & Resort. Engine problems brought the helicopter down, according to americansongwriter.com. The pilot died instantly; Gentry died hours later at a hospital. The duo had just finished recording their album 'Here's to You' days before the crash. The cause of the crash has not been determined. The NTSB investigation is ongoing.

Earlier reports

  1. Sep 8, 2026, 4:33 p.m. ETFirst report

    Troy Gentry of Montgomery Gentry Dies in Helicopter Crash in New Jersey

    Troy Gentry, half of the country duo Montgomery Gentry, died in a helicopter crash on September 8, 2017, in Medford, New Jersey, according to americansongwriter.com. The crash occurred before a scheduled performance at the Flying W Airport & Resort. The helicopter was piloted by James Evan Robinson. Engine problems brought the helicopter down in a wooded area, the outlet reported. The pilot died instantly; Gentry died hours later at a hospital. The duo had just finished recording their album 'Here's to You' days before the crash.

    The aircraft, a Schweizer 269 helicopter, was registered as N204HF, according to the official NTSB accident record (case ERA17FA317). Registry records list it as a Schweizer 269 C-1 single-engine piston helicopter. The cause of the crash has not been determined.

    The NTSB database lists one other case involving the Schweizer 269 C-1 since 2008, which involved a fatality. This record says nothing about the cause of this accident.

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Reference data

From aircraft and geographic registries, not from the news sources. Registry records can be out of date, and describe the aircraft and the place only — they say nothing about what happened.

Registration
N204HF
Type
Schweizer 269 C-1 — single-engine piston helicopter
Terrain elevation
69 ft
Nearest aerodrome
2.5 miles SSW of Flying W Airport (KN14)

Sources

Revision history

  1. Version 18 Sept 2026, 20:37current

    First published.

  2. Version 18 Sept 2026, 20:33current

    First published.

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