‘Very blessed’: 82-year-old pilot walks away unharmed after helicopter crash

An 82-year-old recreational pilot is counting his blessings after his helicopter crashed in North East Thursday morning.

Douglas Duer from Erie walked away unharmed and is calling the incident “a hard landing.”

He was doing a demonstration flight for some friends around 10 a.m. at Moorhead Airpark, 9245 S Haskell Road, when he said the helicopter did a dynamic roll to the right.

It happened when the helicopter was about 10 feet above the ground.

The rollover may have been caused by a gust of wind. The helicopter’s frame hit the ground at full power and was totaled.

Duer has been flying for 64 years but said the morning flight was his last.

“I feel very blessed really. I tell people nothing keeps you closer to the Lord than flying a helicopter. (Will you go back up?) No. No, I’m done,” said Douglas Duer, Helicopter Pilot

Duer says he was hoping to beat Chuck Yeager’s record, who flew into his 90s, but he said he had a good run!

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