Family of four from Gilchrist County, FL, killed in helicopter crash near Bronson
Photos of crash site courtesy of LCSO.
LCSO, NTSB and FAA investigating crash
Bronson, Florida - About 8:30 pm on Thursday evening, December 30, 2021, the Levy County Sheriff’s Office 911 Center received a call from a witness who reported a possible aircraft crash. Within several minutes, the agency received a second call, this one from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which reported that a distress beacon had been reported in the same general location, a wooded area off NE 60th Lane, near Wekiva Road, west of Bronson.
Deputies responded to the location and discovered the scene of a helicopter crash (see photos).
Investigators from the Levy County Sheriff's Office learned that a family of four, a father, mother and two children, had departed from a private residence southwest of Bronson, in a privately owned Robinson helicopter. The family was returning to their home in Gilchrist County, Florida.
According to a LCSO press release, the aircraft experienced an undetermined failure that caused the crash, and all four passengers of the helicopter perished in the crash. Detectives with the Levy County Sheriff’s Office are working with investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the FAA, as this investigation continues.
Levy County Sheriff Bobby McCallum spoke to friends and family members of the victims and expressed his deepest condolences. He also isisued a public statement, "This is a tragedy that has deeply affected families in Gilchrist County, Levy County and the LCSO family, as one of our own detectives is related to the victims."
Sheriff McCallum contacted Gilchrist County Sheriff Bobby Schultz, to notify him about the crash. Sheriff Schultz and the victims' pastors contacted the victims' family members in Gilchrist County to deliver the terrible news.
"We all grieve this loss and are praying for these families in this time of tragedy," said LCSO Lt. Scott Tummond. "The family has requested privacy as they grieve their loss."
According to Main Street Daily News in Gainesville, Florida, the names of the deceased family are Ronald Hicks, 36, and his wife, Shelly Hicks, 32, and their two children, Parker, 8, and Jaylyn, 5.