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Friends and family members of two New Market residents who died in a helicopter crash in Washington County last week remember both as giving people devoted to their community.

They remember Niall Booth, 43, for his work with Heli-Flights for Hope, part of the Advanced Helicopter Youth Foundation, and Kim Felix, 48, for her role with Deer Crossing Elementary School's PTA and Damascus Road Community Church.

Booth and Felix were in the helicopter with Jeffrey D. Nordaas, 24, of Columbia and George H. Tutor Jr., 39, of Westminster when it crashed into Interstate 70 July 23 just west of the Frederick-Washington county line.

Felix was a passenger, and the three men were employees of Advanced Helicopter Concepts in Frederick.

Nordaas was the pilot for the trip, which was on behalf of the Advanced Helicopter Youth Foundation. The four people flew to Hagerstown for a meeting with Hagerstown Business Association, which was working with local business people to raise money and awareness of mental health and drug problems in teenagers, according to Ryan Dale, general manager of Advanced Helicopter Concepts, who provided a prepared statement on Monday.

Mark Helmick of Frederick, a friend of Booth's, said Booth was an aviation enthusiast and his company's work with at-risk youth demonstrated his giving nature. "If I had to pick a job for Niall, this would have been it," Helmick said.

Deer Crossing Principal Karen Hopson remembers Felix as "the voice of the PTA," and said she had a great interest in the community.

Felix oversaw a number of fundraisers this year, including a holiday boutique in December, the school's Spring Fest and its Deer Dash 5K race in May. The race raised $5,000 for the school to buy new equipment and to encourage physical activity.

Felix resigned as president of the PTA this year because she started a new job, and did not feel that she would be able to commit enough time to the association, Hopson said. "The kids were her top priority," she said.

Felix's daughter, Cameron, is a rising fourth-grader at the school, Hopson said.

Chris Eversole, a friend of Booth's from Falls Church, Va., said Heli-Flights for Hope dovetailed with Booth's interests, and that he was a man of deep faith and commitment to family and friends.

"Beyond that, he was about airplanes and charity," Eversole said. "He died doing the job that was probably the best fit for him."

Both Eversole and Helmick thought of their friend as an "absolute optimist," who when faced with challenges always seemed to find a positive outcome.

"Whenever adversity came his way, he'd take it and make it into a positive," Helmick said. "It's a rare gift and a real loss."

Booth's son, Haydn, 15, described his father as a man who pulled himself up by his bootstraps in the business world.

Booth was the CEO of SalesBridge Solutions and served as Haydn's coach on the Frederick Rugby Club.

Haydn said his father "loved all people," and had just returned from a philanthropic trip overseas.

Memorial service planned

Advanced Helicopter Concepts has scheduled a memorial ceremony for the victims at 6 p.m., Wednesday, in the company's hangar at Frederick Municipal Airport, 330 Aviation Way.

Dale's statement offered a glimpse into the lives of those who died in the crash.

"I wish I could offer an explanation or justification for this accident," Dale wrote, "but today there are only questions. Still, I firmly believe that God will use this heartbreaking experience for good, whatever that may be."

Nordaas had been employed by Advanced Helicopter Concepts as a flight instructor since February. He was rated on both airplanes and helicopters and was taught how to fly by his father.

"He was one of the most gifted and natural pilots I have met," Dale wrote.

He is remembered as a patient instructor who was willing to come in early or stay late with his students. He is survived by his parents and his brothers, according to the statement.

The Advanced Helicopter Youth Foundation began last month raise money and awareness for charities that help at-risk youth, Dale said. The foundation relies upon the support of grants, private donors and volunteers.

Tutor was training to become a commercially rated pilot with Advanced Helicopter Concepts. He was a former Navy SEAL and a private pilot. He was also an avid hang glider, the statement said.

"He loved being in the air — whether in a helicopter or in a hang glider," Dale wrote.

He was hired in June as the office manager for Advanced Helicopter Concepts, and he was known for his sense of humor and his pride in his daughter, Jessica. He is survived by his mother, brother and one child, according to the statement.

Dale said Booth arrived at the company looking for "any kind of work" related to aviation, and his timing was perfect: the company was looking for an outside promoter of its fundraising arm.

"God put Niall in front of the foundation at the right time," Dale wrote.

Booth is survived by his wife and two children.

Dale wrote that he had only spent a few minutes with Felix before the flight, and that he wished that he knew her better. He said that during their brief conversation, she mentioned that one of her daughters was about to leave for college, and that she was nervous about her leaving home. She made the helicopter trip because she had worked with Booth to set up the meeting in Hagerstown, Dale said.

Felix, a member of Damascus Road Community Church, is survived by her husband and three children, according to the statement.

The Rev. Richard Fredericks said the church has a support team helping the family through its grieving process, and planned a funeral for Felix at 2 p.m. today.

He said Felix was a "bundle of energy," and that she did as much as she could to help in her community. "Whether it was [Girl Scout] Brownies, cheerleading or church, whatever she was involved in, she went full tilt," Fredericks said.

The investigation

The National Transportation Safety Board will not likely determine the cause of the crash for at least a year, said Keith Holloway, an NTSB spokesman.

The board should have a preliminary report posted to its Web site by the end of the week, but it can take 12 to 18 months for the board to determine a cause in an aviation accident, he said.

Documents pertaining to the crash have been taken to an NTSB office in Delaware, where they would be examined further. The investigation will look into helicopter records, radar taken at the time of the accident, pilot experience, and determine if thunderstorms on the night of the crash may have been a factor.

E-mail Christian Brown at chbrown@gazette.net.