 During the first year of his administration, Jones and five others were traveling in a state helicopter from Frankfort to Fort Knox when a tail rotor blade snapped, causing the helicopter to crash in Shelby County. The pilot was able to guide the helicopter into a treetop to soften the impact. No one was killed, but Jones suffered a severe back strain and a bruised kidney. The National Transportation Safety Board later determined that the pilot and co-pilot had not properly attached an engine cowling that knocked off the tail rotor blade. Both pilots maintained that they did nothing wrong, and Jones credited them for the survival of the passengers aboard the helicopter.
