Helicopter Crashes Near Backwoods Festival Resulting in 3 Dead, 1 Injured

Backwoods Festival was suddenly canceled on the last night after a helicopter giving rides to the festival was reported missing close to the festival.

Backwoods Festival took place at Mulberry Mountain and features lots of EDM artists. When the pilot didn’t arrive back when he was due, something was obviously wrong. The festival cancelled all remaining sets for the night and issued an announcement. G Jones and Zeds Dead were impacted by the cancellation.

backwoods festival- i’m really sorry to say my set has been cancelled due to the tragic helicopter crash. my heart goes out to everyone affected 🖤 love u all + hope to play for you soon

— G JONES (@gjonesbass) June 3, 2019

Just two weeks ago, Backwoods Festival featured the helicopter service from Tulsa County Helicopters. In an interview about their relationship with the festival, the company elaborated on their service. Festival attendees are encouraged to take a helicopter ride to get a bird’s eye view of the festival and enjoy the change of scenery. The service would be available for all three days of the festival from noon to sunset. In addition, they have their own tent on festival grounds.

On Sunday afternoon, the local police received a report that there was a missing helicopter. Following that, after an hour since the first call, rescue crews located the helicopter through a passenger’s 911 call. 

Later, the rescue personnel recovered Zachari Peterson, but pilot Chuck Dickson and passengers Sarah Hill and Marco Orneals died from the crash. Zachari Peterson suffered from some broken bones and internal injuries, and the hospital listed him in critical condition. Additionally, the circumstances of the crash are unclear although there was a reported storm coming in.

The news picked up traction after Festive Owl had posted about it.

Below is a video from festival grounds:

Music has stopped and the Backwoods team have made an onstage announcement that rescue and recovery efforts still continue. | 📹: Dana Ramsey pic.twitter.com/DMVDNLJczH

— Festive Owl (@TheFestiveOwl) June 3, 2019

Backwoods Festival just posted a statement on their Facebook page regarding the matter. They provided further information on the four individuals in the incident and explained the cancellation. The festival did their best to respond to the tragic event and be considerate of all the attendees.

All the condolences for the families and everyone affected by the tragic incident. As more information comes out, we will continue updating.

Hopefully, helicopter companies will increase security measures and consider new policies.