NC will keep trying to unload unwanted helicopter
North Carolina was unable to unload a state-owned helicopter after receiving no bids for the aircraft in an eBay auction, but the Department of Transportation will keep trying.
Gov. Pat McCrory put the 1998 Sikorsky S-76C+ helicopter on the block last month, saying the aircraft isn't often used and that the state could save money by selling it.
The seven-seat helicopter cost $265,000 to operate in fiscal 2012-13, and it logged about 417 hours of use from 2007 to 2013 at a cost of about $2.2 million.
State agencies used the helicopter, which is based at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, to monitor disaster recovery and take trips for economic development, but they were negotiating a contract with a private helicopter owner for use of an aircraft when needed.
The state set a $1.5 million opening bid for the helicopter, but no one met the asking price before the eBay auction closed at noon Monday.
The DOT is relisting the item, said Josh Ellis, a spokesman for McCrory. If it doesn't sell again, the agency will continue to pursue options to sell it, he said.
