SANTA PAULA : County to Drop Case Against Copter Pilot
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Cartoon voice actor Noel Blanc will not be charged with manslaughter in a fatal 1991 collision above the Santa Paula Airport because he did not violate any rules while piloting a helicopter, county prosecutors said Wednesday.
The crash between the Bell JetRanger flown by Blanc and a Pitts S-2A stunt plane occurred 40 feet over the runway as both craft attempted to take off. Killed in the collision were instructional pilot Leigh F. Manelski, 46, who was at the controls of the Pitts, and his passenger, David S. Tomlinson, 18, a student pilot.
Blanc was injured in the crash, along with his co-pilot, Michael J. Carra, and film actor Kirk Douglas.
On Wednesday, Deputy Dist. Atty. Jim Grunert said prosecutors were unable to prove that Blanc was grossly negligent in the accident, a necessary finding before a charge of involuntary manslaughter can be filed.
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