As investigators continue to comb through the area where a sightseeing helicopter crashed and killed five people Monday, federal officials said they may need up to a year to determine just how and why the aircraft went down in Sevier County.
Police identified the five victims from the crash on Tuesday night. The pilot was Jason Dahl, 38, of Sevierville. The passengers were Johna Morvant, 49, from Kodak and her two children, Peyton and Parker Rasmussen with Huntersville, N.C. addresses. Also killed in the crash was Michael Glenn Mastalez, 21, of Prosper, Texas
At this point, officials said evidence indicates the helicopter struck a nearby ridgeline, hit the ground and was consumed by fire.
A pilot and four passengers died Monday afternoon when the 39-year-old chopper from Smoky Mountain Helicopter crashed during what would have been a 12-minute tour, said Luke Schiada, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board.
Because the fire destroyed much of the aircraft, it "makes things more complicated" for investigators, Schiada added.
"Fire destroys and it consumes, so it's going to limit components, conceal and destroy evidence," he said.
Pigeon Forge Fire personnel spent part of Tuesday searching the nearby river for debris from the wreck.
The NTSB is working to document the helicopter at the crash site before moving it to a facility in Springfield, Tennessee.
In the meantime, officials are gathering information on the pilot and his background, radar data, weather conditions, and the maintenance history of the helicopter which was built in 1977.
The NTSB is expected to release a preliminary report by the end of next week. The final investigative report, however, likely will take a year.
Although officials have declined to release the pilot's name, investigators said the pilot's most recent exam - taken about a year ago - reflects 550 total hours of flight experience.
Schiada said officials will also review the weather conditions to see if the helicopter should have been airborne Monday. He noted that it was one its second tour of the day when it went down.
