September 08, 2017 - 3:05 PM
LUMBERTON, N.J. - The Latest on a helicopter crash that killed country singer Troy Gentry, half of the duo Montgomery Gentry (all times local):
5:55 p.m.
A helicopter pilot who died in a New Jersey crash along with singer Troy Gentry, of the country duo Montgomery Gentry, has been identified.
A Medford Police Department spokesman says the pilot was 30-year-old James Evan Robinson, of Meigs, Georgia. Crews removed Robinson's body from the mangled wreckage after several hours.
The helicopter crashed in a wooded area while approaching the Flying W Airport in Medford on Friday afternoon, hours before Montgomery Gentry was due to perform at a resort housed at the airport.
Authorities say Gentry was a passenger in the helicopter and crews removed him from the wreckage but he was pronounced dead at a hospital. Gentry was from Kentucky.
The band's website calls Gentry's death "tragic" and says details of the crash are unknown.
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4:10 p.m.
The official website for Montgomery Gentry says Troy Gentry, half of the country duo, has died in a New Jersey helicopter crash.
The Federal Aviation Administration says the helicopter crashed into a wooded area Friday afternoon near the Flying W Airport in Medford.
The airport also houses a resort and was scheduled to host a concert by the country duo on Friday night. The airport announced the cancellation of the gig Friday afternoon.
The pilot of the helicopter also died.
Gentry was born April 5, 1967, in Lexington, Kentucky, where he met bandmate Eddie Montgomery and formed a group based off their last names.
The duo had success on the country charts, scoring five No. 1 hits. The band was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2009.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017