Pilot Who Crashed Helicopter Facing Murder Charge

The pilot that was flying a helicopter without an FAA license of certificate and crashed that helicopter near the Cocke County/Sevier County line in December 2021 is now facing a murder charge.

Matthew Jones has been indicted y a Sevier County jury for Reckless Homicide in the death of the passenger that was in the helicopter when it crashed on December 29, 2021. The aircraft crashed into the mountains behind Baxter’s Orchard in heavy fog, less than 10 minutes after taking off from the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport in Sevierville. Jones was flying without a license and was under scrutiny in Utah before coming to Tennessee.

In December of 2022, Jones was charged with wire fraud and flying without an airman certificate, or license. He had plead guilty to those charges. He will be arraigned on the charge of reckless homicide in Sevier County at 9am on April 1.