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October 19, 2009

Two dead in helicopter crash

and Associate Press reports

Two Tahlequah residents were found dead Friday amid the debris of a helicopter crash west of Tahlequah.

Investigators said Mark James Mahaney, 26, and Darci Scraper, 20, were killed in the crash.

The bodies were sent to the state medical examiner’s office in Tulsa for autopsies, said Police Chief Clay Mahaney. The chief is Mark’s cousin.

An Oklahoma Highway Patrol pilot spotted the wreckage from the air Friday morning, and ground crews moved in to confirm that the 2007 Robinson R22 helicopter had crashed in the Mud Valley Road area, west of Tahlequah on private property. The debris was found approximately two miles from the city airport.

Mahaney was piloting the helicopter, and Scraper was a passenger. Mahaney was ejected from the aircraft, authorities said Friday afternoon.

The FAA website indicates the craft was owned by the late Trevor Noble of Wilmington, Del. Noble, a former local resident and musician, was killed in a 2007 helicopter crash on the Kentucky-Tennessee border. Reports at that time indicated Noble had been living in Nashville.

An Oklahoma Highway Patrol report states the aircraft lifted off from a residence and was flying southeast when it went down for an unknown reason. A friend of Scraper’s reported her missing Thursday afternoon and told officers she was believed to be with Mahaney. Attempts by law enforcement and family members to locate Mahaney were unsuccessful until the Friday morning discovery.

Mahaney took off in the helicopter around 4 a.m., Wednesday, officials said. That is listed as the time of the crash on OHP reports. Mahaney and Scraper were expected to meet a friend and leave the helicopter at the Tahlequah airport, but never arrived. Friday’s search was prompted by the missing person report.

Tahlequah police and fire department personnel, emergency management officials, Cherokee County sheriff’s deputies and Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers were all part of the search effort.

Private pilots also came in to aid in the search.

“We appreciate the assistance of everyone, particularly the private pilots who came in on their own to help with the search,” said Undersheriff Jason Chennault.

Tahlequah-Cherokee County Emergency Management set up a command post Friday morning at the city airport, from which Mahaney often flew his two-seat helicopter. The pilot’s father, James, chairs the city’s Airport Advisory Board.

FAA and National Transportation Safety Board personnel were en route to Tahlequah Friday to investigate the crash.

Court records indicate that public intoxication and DUI charges were pending against Mahaney in Cherokee County. Mahaney also pleaded no contest to drug and drunken driving charges in 2006 and was given a two-year deferred sentence.

Services for Mahaney are 2 p.m., Tuesday, at First Baptist Church.

Services for Scraper are 2 p.m., Wednesday, in the Sequoyah High School gymnasium.

Besides his father, Mahaney’s other survivors include his mother, René Rozell, and former Sen. Herb Rozell and his wife, Carol. Mahaney also has a son, three younger brothers, and stepsister.

Rozell spent much of Friday morning at the airport as the search unfolded. He said he appreciated the effort everyone and all of the agencies put forth in the search. Rozell told the media he loved his grandson Mark dearly and that he was one of his pride and joys.

James said his son flew nearly every day and loved to fly. He said Mark was very happy when he flew and flying was what he wanted to do.

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