Dan Olsen, Director of Fire and Aviation Management with the U.S. Forest Service’s southern region, sent out the information below about the death of Bill Allison, the retired USFS Regional Aviation Officer. It appears that the airplane Mr. Allison was flying crashed on Friday and the wreckage was found on Sunday near Hayesville, N.C.
It is with great sadness this morning that I pass on the news that Bill Allison was killed Friday when his personal single engine aircraft crashed in the Nantahala NF while he was enroute from his home in Helen, GA to the airport he managed in NC. I don’t have very much information at this time, so I am attaching the news story from the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
I know that many of you knew and respected Bill. Since retiring as Regional Aviation Officer for Region 8, he has remained active in Wildland Fire and emergency management through aviation contract work. Bill was known and respected by all who knew him in the Forest Service, our partner agencies, and the General Aviation community. Please keep Bill’s family and friends in your thoughts and prayers. I will forward specifics regarding arrangements as soon as I have them.
