A helicopter pilot faces federal charges after allegedly illegally landing in Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park. Peter Smith of Gunnison, Colorado, was charged with two Class B misdemeanors: “operating or using aircraft on lands or waters other than at locations designated pursuant to special regulations” and failure to use an aircraft "in accordance with regulations of the FAA,” according to information from the National Park Service (NPS). Smith faces penalties including a $5,000 fine and six months in jail for each violation and will appear in federal court in Wyoming next month.
Park rangers received reports of an Airbus Helicopters AS350B3, registered as N708SD, landing on the west shore of Jackson Lake on the afternoon of June 24. Rangers said they found Smith and a companion near the helicopter having a snack. Smith told authorities that the landing was precautionary due to weather. The unauthorized landing of helicopters is prohibited on the lands and waters within the boundaries of Grand Teton National Park.
The NPS noted that Smith previously paid a $530 fine for flying a fixed-wing aircraft below safe altitudes in Colorado’s Curecanti National Recreation Area.