Helicopter Pilot From Crash In 2021 Sentenced

The man who was piloting a helicopter when it crashed in the Cosby area in December of 2021 was sentenced this week for negligent criminal homicide. Back on December 29, 2021, Matthew Jones took off in a helicopter in foggy conditions from the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge airport against the advice of airport staff. Eight minutes late, the helicopter crashed near the Cocke County-Sevier County line just outside the boundary to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A passenger in the helicopter was killed in the crash. It was later found that Jones had not been cleared to resume flying, after he was indicted in Utah in October of 2021 for flying as an instructor without the proper certification and defrauding customers. On Monday, Jones was sentenced to two years in jail and must serve 30% of that sentence before being eligible for parole. He has 30 days to report to the Sevier County jail.