Pilots killed in Forest Grove practicing to avoid crashes

FOREST GROVE, Ore. - The pilots of a helicopter that crashed in a field south of Forest Grove last Sunday were practicing auto-rotations, according to a preliminary National Transportation Safety Board report released Friday.

The technique is used to fly a helicopter when it loses power to the engine, the report said.

Thomas Hagner, 32, of Hillsboro, and Douglas Doty, 34, of Beaverton, who both died in the crash, were both certified pilots, an Internet search found.

Hagner received his commercial pilot’s license in January of this year which included certification as a helicopter pilot, according to the Federal Aviation Administration's Web site.

Additionally, a professional Web site called LinkedIn said that Doty had almost 900 hours of flight time in the air. He’d also been at Hillsboro Aviation for nearly two years.

The helicopter that crashed in a field south of Forest Grove was owned and operated by Hillsboro Aviation and was a Robinson R22 Beta, according to the NTSB.

No one at Hillsboro Aviation wanted to comment about the crash.

According to the Washington County Sheriff’s office, Doty was the flight instructor and Hagner was the student. But it is not known who was piloting the helicopter at the time of the crash.

Both the NTSB and the FAA are investigating the crash.

A memorial fund has been set up for Douglas Doty and anyone who wants to contribute to it can do so at any Bank of America branch.