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MOOSE, Wyoming — Grand Teton National Park officials are pleading with visitors not to land helicopters in the park unless they have proper authorization first after an incident last month led to new federal charges.
Peter Smith, of Colorado, was charged in the U.S. District Court of Wyoming on Friday with operating aircraft on lands/waters other than designated areas and failure to comply with Federal Aviation Administration regulations, according to federal court records. Both violations are considered class B misdemeanors that can result in a fine of up to $5,000 and six months in jail, according to the National Park Service.
The charges are in relation to an incident near Moran Bay on the southwestern corner of Jackson Lake, park officials said Monday. They said park rangers responded by boat to a report of a helicopter illegally landing in the area sometime around 3 p.m. on June 24.
They arrived to find the helicopter, as well as Smith, who was "picnicking along the lake" with a companion, park officials said. They note that unauthorized helicopter landings are not allowed at any of the lands or waters within the park "in order to protect wildlife and other natural resources and to preserve the visitor experience."
Smith disagrees with that assertion and contends he did nothing wrong. He told the Associated Press on Monday that he landed the helicopter because of poor weather in the area at the time.
"We were trying to cross over the Tetons and we couldn't, so we landed," he told the outlet. "We were not having a picnic. We were landing."
Federal court records show Smith is scheduled to appear in front of a federal judge next month. Court records did not indicate whether he had obtained legal representation.
Park officials added Monday that Smith, who they said is the owner of a company called West Elk Air in Gunnison, Colorado, was fined $530 earlier this year after being cited for flying a fixed-wing aircraft below the minimum safe altitude set up by the FAA for Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado.
The company's website appears to have been pulled and an Instagram account showcasing flight videos was made private.
