An R-22 crashed on Thursday evening 7/23/09 near Hagerstown, with 4 fatalities.
One of them was a person named Niall Booth. I spent some time with Niall in 2004 and 2005. Both of us being avid Convair 880 & 990 enthusiasts, we traveled together to Atlantic City to visit the two 880’s in storage there (they were still intact at that time). We presented the FAA with a proposal to relocate the aircraft and begin some restoration work. The goal was never to make them airworthy, but to get them in pristeen static display shape. But the project was not meant to happen.
Though I enjoyed the hours spent on the Convair project, I lost touch with Niall in 2006.
Niall was well known as an enthusiast and historian. He leaves behind a wife and two teenage children. He had recently started a non-profit youth oriented helicopter organization.
I have been unable to determine the specific N-number of the R-22 involved in the crash.
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