Helicopter crashes in field in Hays County

A pilot sustained serious injuries Friday afternoon when his helicopter clipped utility lines and crashed near Yarrington Road. Jimmie Barnhill, 45, was the only one in the helicopter when he went down in a cotton field near the intersection of Yarrington and Harris Hill roads, State Trooper Jeff Sones said. The aircraft was fitted with crop dusting equipment.

Sones said a man working with the pilot told police he was trying to land because of radio problems. Barnhill reportedly flew the helicopter from the south side of Yarrington, across the road to the north, under utility lines.

A rotor blade got caught on a telephone line, causing the aircraft to crash. Phone lines were severed, but electrical lines remained intact, Sones said.

Barnhill was transported by Hays County EMS to Brackenridge Hospital in Austin with serious injuries.

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating. DPS, the Hays County Sheriff’s Department and Kyle and South Hays fire departments responded.
Photo and story by By Ashley Landis, The San Marcos Record