Man killed in the crash of homemade helicopter in Sedgwick County identified

Authorities identified a 70-year-old man from Andale, Kansas as the person killed when a “home-built type” helicopter crashed Friday in western Sedgwick County.

Vincent Faber was the pilot and sole occupant of the helicopter when the crash occurred, Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Lt. Nathan Gibbs said Monday.

The incident was reported just after 8 a.m. Friday when deputies responded to a “home-built type” helicopter that crashed in a field southwest of Andale.

A Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson said the helicopter was a Scorpion 133. FAA aircraft registry records show that Faber owned the helicopter.

FAA spokesperson Brittany Trotter said the Scorpion 133 is a small aircraft sold as a kit for self-assembly.

RotorWay, the company that manufactured the aircraft, bills itself as the “largest kit helicopter company in the world” having sold some 5,000 kits from 1972 to 1984. The scorpion helicopter is no longer being made , according to the company.

Trotter said the National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation and the FAA will assist. The Kansas Highway Patrol was also on the scene Friday morning.

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Person killed after ‘home-built type’ helicopter crashes near Andale