Local officials question 2-hour delay in crash alert

National Transportation and Saftey Board lead investigator Todd Gunther, left, and Ralph Hicks examine the burned seats and cushions of the Omni Flight helicopter that crashed south.

While federal officials continue to investigate the cause of Friday night's fatal helicopter crash in Georgetown County, questions remain about why local officials weren't alerted about the missing aircraft until nearly two hours after a dispatcher lost contact with the crew.

A vice president from Texas-based Omniflight Helicopters, Inc. said Monday that the dispatcher who discovered the Carolina Lifecare helicopter was missing followed the company's protocol to alert the proper officials.

"We put an emergency action plan into place," Joel Hochhalter said. "There are preset phone numbers of who to call."

For more details Please Visit the The Sun.