NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — A day after a helicopter crashed atop the Bonnet Carre Spillway bridge, the St. Charles Parish Coroner’s Office released the name of the pilot killed in the fatal incident on Tuesday afternoon.
Joshua L. Hawley was the sole occupant onboard the Bell 407 aircraft when it hit the raised eastbound span of Interstate 10 at milepost 212.
The crash forced the road closure of both lanes overnight as emergency work crews from Entergy worked to repair transmission lines downed by the falling helicopter.
Approximately 20,000 customers in Kenner and Metairie were without service immediately following the crash.
According to Hawley’s Facebook, he was the owner of Airspeed Flight Service and started in 2016.
Airspeed Fight Service is located in South Baton Rouge where he would operate from a private heliport at 20269 Highland Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70817.
According to the Airspeed Flight Services website, Mr. Hawley was born and raised in the Greater Baton Rouge Area.
The website also mentioned that he is third generation pilot, Helicopter Flight Instructor, Avionics Technician, and FAA Safety Team Representative.