A picnic on the shore of Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park could turn out to be really expensive for a Colorado man who illegally landed his helicopter there.
According to the National Park Service, back on Jne 24 around 3 p.m. the park's law enforcement rangers received a report that a helicopter had illegally landed at Moran Bay on the west shore of Jackson Lake. Rangers responded by boat across Jackson Lake and found the helicopter and pilot, Peter Smith, of Gunnison, Colorado, and a companion picnicking along the lake.
Smith, the owner of West Elk Air in Gunnison, was charged with two violations under the Code of Federal Regulations, “Operating or using aircraft on lands or waters other than at locations designated pursuant to special regulations” and “Use of aircraft shall be in accordance with regulations of the FAA.” Each violation is a Class B misdemeanor that could include up to a $5,000 fine and/or six months in jail. Smith is scheduled to appear in court before of a federal judge in Jackson, Wyoming, in August.
Smith was previously cited for flying a fixed wing aircraft below minimum safe altitude, against Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, four months ago, in February 2023. Smith paid a $530 fine set by a federal judge.
The unauthorized landing of helicopters is prohibited on the lands and waters within the boundaries of Grand Teton National Park in order to protect wildlife and other natural resources and to preserve the visitor experience.
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Comments
He will just pay the fine and pick out his next picnic spot.
Please update us on how this case turns out. Hopefully the judge will be unimpressed by this repeat offender.
I wish he was banned from entering the park, by any means including air, for a minimum of 5-10 years. I think there needs to be harsher penalties for park violators and vandalizers.
His pilot's license should be suspended also since he is operating his helicopter in an unsafe manner twice. He obviously doesn't think rules apply to him
The man owns a flying service and I bet he knows the rules and regulations for the national parks. My opinion - he's got money and that has replaced the brain that used to be in his skull. They need to charge him more and take away his license for a month. Maybe that would impress his companion too.
Another untitled JA who doesn't think the rules apply to him.
He did not "vandalize" the Park (as campers who cut living limbs off trees to build campfires too often do). There is nothing "unsafe" in landing on a gravel bar. He disturbed the Park's soundscape for a few minutes, leaving no lasting harm. Tribes routinely land a helicopter, without informing NPS or obtaining a permit, to "survey" their treaty fishing rights (and leave with their coolers full). NPS overflies the Park surveying elk populations, and lands when engaging in search and rescue operations. He broke a regulation, not a Biblical commandment for heavens sake.
The trial is mentioned in this week's Jackson Hole News & Guide. (November 19)