Courtesy National Park Service
Pilot David Supe, 25, of Henderson was taken to Boulder City Hospital for treatment after receiving minor cuts during an emergency landing about 5:40 p.m. Monday in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Supe landed the helicopter after it was hit by a cormorant and the windshield cracked.
Published Monday, Aug. 10, 2009 | 6:48 p.m.
Updated Monday, Aug. 10, 2009 | 7:51 p.m.
The pilot of a tour helicopter returning from the Grand Canyon received minor cuts during an emergency landing about 5:40 p.m. Monday in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
Pilot David Supe, 25, of Henderson was taken to Boulder City Hospital for treatment. The six passengers on the helicopter weren't injured, officials with the National Park Service and Maverick Helicopters said.
The helicopter was hit by a cormorant and its windshield was cracked, said John Buch, spokesman for Maverick Helicopters.
The helicopter landed on a bike trail near the water treatment plant off Lakeshore Drive, Park Service spokesman Andrew Munoz said. It was coming over the River Mountains when it was hit, he said.
A van was being dispatched to the landing site to return the passengers to Las Vegas, Buch said.
Supe received a gash on his chin, his father, Tom Supe, said. The pilot has been flying helicopters since he was 19 and received his fixed-wing pilot’s license at age 17, Tom Supe said. David Supe has flown helicopters in Alaska and for emergency rescue operations in Texas, his father said.
David Supe received stitches on his chin, but was glad to have landed the helicopter safely, his father said.
“I’m pretty proud of him for that,” Tom Supe said. “Anything you can walk away from is a good thing.”
Jean Reid Norman can be reached at 948-2073 or [email protected].
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