- A Colorado man named Peter Smith illegally landed a helicopter in Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park.
- Rangers said they found Smith and a female companion having a picnic, which he denied.
A helicopter pilot who illegally landed in a Wyoming national park says lousy weather forced his hand — not the desire to have a scenic picnic.
Grand Teton National Park shared details about the incident in a Facebook post on Monday and identified the pilot as Peter Smith. According to the statement, on June 24, the national park's law enforcement rangers received a report of a helicopter landing at Moran Bay on the west shore of Jackson Lake.
"Rangers responded by boat across Jackson Lake and found the helicopter and pilot Peter Smith, of Gunnison, Colorado, and a companion picnicking along the lake," the statement said.
However, Smith, owner of West Elk Air, denied the suggestion he landed in the national park for a picnic in an interview with The Associated Press.
"We were trying to cross over the Tetons and we couldn't, so we landed. We were not having a picnic. We were landing," Smith said, adding that Grand Teton National Park is "notorious for bad weather" and he was within his right to land under FAA regulations. Smith also told AP that his passenger was ill.
Representatives for the National Park Services did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. West Elk Air's website appeared to be down as of Tuesday, and an Instagram account associated with the company is private.
Grand Teton National Park's statement said Smith was charged with two violations under the Code of Federal Regulations: use of aircraft should follow Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, and operating or using aircraft on lands or waters other than at locations designated according to special regulations.
Per the statement, each violation is considered a Class B misdemeanor, including a "$5,000 fine and/or six months in jail." Smith is scheduled to appear in court before a federal judge in August.
These charges come after Smith was cited for "flying a fixed wing aircraft below minimum safe altitude" earlier this year.
"Smith was previously cited for flying a fixed wing aircraft below minimum safe altitude, against Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, four months ago, in February 2023. Smith paid a $530 fine set by a federal judge," the statement read.
"The unauthorized landing of helicopters is prohibited on the lands and waters within the boundaries of Grand Teton National Park in order to protect wildlife and other natural resources and to preserve the visitor experience," the statement continued.