Photo by Art Smith A crashed helicopter remains upside down in the woods at 3978 Lee Creek Road in Belleville Monday afternoon. Pilot Brandon Stenzel, 37, was seriously injured and flown to Charleston Area Medical Center.

BELLEVILLE – A registered nurse was among the first people to reach the seriously injured pilot of a helicopter that crashed Monday in the woods in Belleville.

The crash of the tree-trimming helicopter that occurred around 5:30 p.m. Monday on Lee Creek Road near Belleville is under investigation by federal authorities.

Katie Townsend, a registered nurse whose in-laws own the land where the accident occurred, said she was the first person to reach pilot Brandon Stenzel, 37.

“He was alert when I got to him; I think he probably has a long road to recovery,” Townsend said.

She stayed with Stenzel until an emergency squad arrived about 30 minutes later.

The property at 3978 Lee Creek Road is owned by Sheila and Kevin Townsend and was being used as the staging area for the helicopter, which is owned by Signature Utility Services, Sheila Townsend said.

“They staged the flights in our front yard. Every hour they had to land to refuel; they were seven minutes from needing to land,” she said. “They were working on trimming behind our house.”

The tree trimmers were the first at the crash site, Sheila Townsend said. Neighbors Jim and Angie Lemley ran to the crash, too, she said.

Things went quick, Sheila Townsend said.The helicopter flew over, then wasn’t seen anymore, she said.

“It happened so fast. There was no fire, just smoke,” she said. “His partner came to the house and told us to call 911. We went down on the side-by-side with my daughter-in-law who is a registered nurse.”

The pilot was out of the craft when they got there. The Townsends believe he might have gone through the front window.

Stenzel was flown to Charleston Area Medical Center General Hospital with “serious injuries,” Sgt. R.E. Richardson with the West Virginia State Police said.

Signature was contracted to trim trees around power lines by FirstEnergy, the company said in a statement released Monday night.

“Our main concern is for those who may have been involved in the incident, and our thoughts are with them as their injuries are assessed,” the statement said.

Richardson said state troopers secured the scene and took initial statements. The Wood County Sheriff’s Department and Lubeck and Pond Creek volunteer fire departments also responded.

The crash will be investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board, according to the FAA website.

An FAA notice about the incident says the helicopter crashed under unknown circumstances while performing low-level tree work. An NTSB spokesman said the helicopter was a Hughes 369D that was pruning tree limbs at the time of the crash.

A saw attached to the helicopter by a cable hangs below the aircraft to cut limbs away from utility lines.

City Editor Evan Bevins contributed to this story.