One man confirmed dead after helicopter hits power line, sinks in Fox River in Oshkosh

Show Caption Hide Caption Oshkosh helicopter crash: Emergency crews remove helicopter from river Emergency crews removed a crashed helicopter from the Fox River about 7 p.m. Saturday. The helicopter crashed after hitting a power line,.

OSHKOSH – An idyllic summer day turned tragic when a helicopter hit electric power lines, crashed and sank in the Fox River about 12:30 p.m. Saturday near Mahoney's Restaurant and Bar in Oshkosh.

The Winnebago County Coroner's office confirmed that one man died in the crash.

The helicopter went down just west of the Jackson Street bridge and almost immediately sank, bystanders said.

Winnebago County Sheriff's Capt. Lara Vendola-Messer said search efforts were made treacherous by high-voltage power lines in the water. Divers had to postpone the search to await specialty equipment brought in by Wisconsin Public Service.

Authorities were able to recover the helicopter and the man's body shortly after 7 p.m.

"Other than it is a helicopter, we don't know where it came from or anything else at this point," Vendola-Messer said in an afternoon press conference.

Oshkosh Fire Dept. Assistant Chief John Ziemer said boats initially did a surface search but did not find anyone in the water.

Oshkosh helicopter crash: Authorities discuss Fox River search effort Downed power lines have impeded dive teams' ability to search for the helicopter and its occupants.

Afterward, Winnebago County Sheriff's Office and Oshkosh police boats scoured the river throughout the afternoon, using hooks to drag for debris.

Divers returned to the water about 4:30 p.m.

All boat traffic on the river was halted until shortly after 8 p.m.

Bystanders gathered Saturday afternoon along the riverwalk, but were kept at a safe distance from the downed wires.

Gary Lemiesz, of Oshkosh, said he watched as a dark green helicopter flew east over the river, then turned back and flew west. The helicopter hit the wires and part of the propeller broke off, he said.

“It hit hard and sunk,” Lemiesz said.

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He said several private boats initially converged to search the area.

The crash occurred on a busy weekend on the water. Increased boat traffic from the Lake Winnebago Four Horsemen Poker Run had to be rerouted from the area. The event is an annual, high-performance poker run benefiting local charities.

An announcement was made at Walleye Weekend in Fond du Lac that some participants in the national Mercury Marine Family Fishing Tournament would have to have their catches weighed in Oshkosh, instead of Fond du Lac, due to the crash and their inability to get back to Fond du Lac for the Winnebago system's upper lakes.

This is the second helicopter crash in Wisconsin this year. Three people died in April when a medical helicopter crashed near Hazelhurst.