by JoBeth Wampler
Staff Reporter 
  Federal officials are still investigating a helicopter crash that occurred on Hurricane Creek last Thursday afternoon.
  The pilots of the helicopter, Matthew Cobhan, of Kermit, WV, and Ivan Mooser, of Logan, WV, were med-flighted to Bristol Regional Medical Center after their company helicopter clipped a power line and plummeted to the ground.
  At around 4:25 p.m. on Thursday, March 8, the men had landed briefly off Route 600 on Hurricane Creek in Davenport to correct some GPS and computer problems. But, as they took off again, the helicopter rotor struck a primary and neutral electrical tap line, just off the main power line, which caused the helicopter to crash into the field below.
  The helicopter, manufactured by Sud Aviation and owned by Mike's Contracting in Chapmanville, WV, incurred substantial damage. It is regarded a total loss.
  According to a report by Virginia State Police Trooper R.A. Stiltner, the company was subcontracted to perform leak detection checks of gas sites and lines and took off from Logan County Airport in West Virginia.
  Cobhan and Mooser were med-flighted to Bristol Regional Hospital for precautionary reasons and were released the next day.
  The Federal Aviation Administration has ruled the incident an accident due to the extent of damage that resulted, according to FAA Public Affairs official Jim Peters.
  A National Transportation Safety Board investigation into the cause of the accident is pending and a preliminary report is expected this week. However, the board will spend the next months compiling the facts of the accident and will issue a probable cause or fact finding report within four to five months.

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