May they rest in peace
Continue readingAccident kills firefighting helicopter pilot in Oregon
August 25, 2020 | 4:24 a.m. PDT
White River Fire August 18, 2020. InciWeb.The pilot of a helicopter was killed August 24 while assisting firefighters on the White River Fire in Oregon. According to the U.S. Forest Service the K-MAX helicopter was dropping water in rough terrain when the accident occurred.
Wasco County Sheriff’s Office and Forest Service air and ground resources responded immediately to the site. There will be an investigation into the accident, and the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration have been notified. The firefighter has not yet been identified.
The White River Fire has burned 1,102 acres of timber and light logging slash 11 miles southeast of Mt. Hood since it started from a lightning strike August 17. It is being suppressed by 304 personnel and a Type 2 incident management team led by Incident Commander Brian Goff.
We send out our sincere condolences to the family, friends, and co-workers of the pilot.
White River Fire August 24, 2020Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Jeff.
Pilot killed in helicopter accident while battling Oregon fire
August 25, 2020 | 4:07 a.m. PDT
White River Fire August 24, 2020The pilot of a helicopter was killed August 24 while assisting firefighters on the White River Fire in Oregon. According to the U.S. Forest Service the K-MAX helicopter was dropping water in rough terrain when the accident occurred.
Wasco County Sheriff’s Office and Forest Service air and ground resources responded immediately to the site. There will be an investigation into the accident, and the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration have been notified. The firefighter has not yet been identified.
The White River Fire has burned 1,102 acres of timber and light logging slash 11 miles southeast of Mt. Hood since it started from a lightning strike August 17. It is being suppressed by 304 personnel and a Type 2 incident management team led by Incident Commander Brian Goff.
We send out our sincere condolences to the family, friends, and co-workers of the pilot.
White River Fire August 18, 2020. InciWeb.Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Jeff.
Pilots that were killed in mid-air collision of air tankers identified
Updated August 20, 2020 | 7:27 p.m. MDT
File photo. Air tanker 866 (N8510M) drops on the Red Canyon Fire in South Dakota July 9, 2016. Photo by Bill Gabbert.The Sheriff’s Office of Lincoln County, Nevada has officially released the names of the two pilots that were killed in the mid-air collision of two Single Engine Air Tankers that occurred July 30, 2020 that were working on the Bishop Fire in southeast Nevada. The aircraft were on contract with the BLM.
They were identified by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office as David Blake Haynes and Scott Thomas. When we asked Sheriff Kerry Lee why it took almost three weeks to release the names, he said that they have four ways to identify deceased individuals — dental, fingerprint, identification by the family either on scene or by photo, or DNA. Because of the condition of the victims they had to use DNA which required obtaining samples from family members then sending those to a lab with samples from the pilots.
A preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board revealed that one of the two SEATs had fire retardant on the windshield. Both pilots of the aircraft, the only personnel on board, were killed while assisting firefighters on the Bishop Fire in southeast Nevada.
The investigators found that the tankers were working in tandem with one close behind the other. After the following aircraft got retardant on the windshield it made a rapid climb then suddenly turned left and collided with the other.
Both of the SEATs were operated by M&M Air Services out of Beaumont, Texas. The aircraft were made by Air Tractor, model AT-802A; N8510M (Tanker 866) and N1558W (Tanker 824).
Our sincere condolences go out to the family, friends, and co-workers of Mr. Haynes and Mr. Thomas.
File photo: Tanker 824 (N1558W) at Boise, July 19, 2014. Photo by Bill Gabbert.The article was updated August 20, 2020 after receiving information from the Sheriff’s office.
Crash of firefighting helicopter kills pilot near Coalinga, California
August 19, 2020 | 5:16 p.m. PDT
N711GH, Guardian Helicopters photo.(This article first appeared on Fire Aviation)
A pilot was killed August 19 in the crash of a helicopter while working on the Hills Fire, approximately 9 miles south of the City of Coalinga. Air and ground resources responded immediately to the crash site which was in rugged terrain. The pilot was the only person aboard and the name has not been disclosed. Local TV station ABC30 said the helicopter was on a water dropping mission.
CAL FIRE released the information about the crash, saying the National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation and CAL FIRE is assisting.
Zoe Keliher, a spokesperson for the NTSB, said the helicopter will be recovered August 20 and moved to a location for further examination. She confirmed that the registration number of the aircraft is N711GH.
Personnel with the FAA said the aircraft crashed around 10 a.m. Wednesday and the accident started a new fire.
FAA records show that it is a Bell UH-1H manufactured in 2009 and owned by Guardian Helicopters, Inc. of Van Nuys, California.
The Hills Fire started Saturday and has burned about 1,500 acres. ABC30 said the fire started by the crash will likely burn into the Hills Fire.
We send out our sincere condolences to the family, friends, and co-workers of the pilot.
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Pamela, Jim, and Douglas.
Pilot killed in crash of firefighting helicopter near Coalinga, California
August 19, 2020 | 5:12 p.m. PDT
N711GH, Guardian Helicopters photo.A pilot was killed August 19 in the crash of a helicopter while working on the Hills Fire, approximately 9 miles south of the City of Coalinga. Air and ground resources responded immediately to the crash site which was in rugged terrain. The pilot was the only person aboard and the name has not been disclosed. Local TV station ABC30 said the helicopter was on a water dropping mission. (UPDATE: the pilot was identified as Mike Fournier, 52, of Rancho Cucamonga, California.)
CAL FIRE released the information about the crash, saying the National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation and CAL FIRE is assisting.
Zoe Keliher, a spokesperson for the NTSB, said the helicopter will be recovered August 20 and moved to a location for further examination. She confirmed that the registration number of the aircraft is N711GH.
Personnel with the FAA said the aircraft crashed around 10 a.m. Wednesday and the accident started a new fire.
FAA records show that it is a Bell UH-1H manufactured in 2009 and owned by Guardian Helicopters, Inc. of Van Nuys, California.
The Hills Fire started Saturday and has burned about 1,500 acres. ABC30 said the fire started by the crash will likely burn into the Hills Fire.
We send out our sincere condolences to the family, friends, and co-workers of the pilot.
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Pamela, Jim, and Douglas.
Preliminary report reveals one of the SEATs involved in the July 30 mid-air collision had retardant on windshield
Two pilots were killed July 30, 2020 at the Bishop Fire in southeast Nevada
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Continue readingTwo air tankers collide near Bishop Fire in Nevada
UPDATED at 10:15 p.m. MDT July 30, 2020
Map showing heat detected by satellites on the Bishop fire as late as 3 a.m. MDT July 30, 2020.Two air tankers collided July 30 while working on the Bishop Fire in southeast Nevada.
The Air Tractor Single Engine Air Tankers, SEATs, were involved in a mid-air collision Thursday afternoon according to Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Claire Morville. There was one person on board each aircraft.
At 10 p.m. MDT July 30 a spokesperson for the Bureau of Land Management, Chris Hanefeld, confirmed that the collision occurred earlier in the day at about 12:55 p.m. He said both pilots were killed in the crash. Recovery operations are currently underway and initial notifications are still being made.
“We offer our sincere condolences to the families of the two pilots and to all those working with the BLM Nevada Ely District,” said BLM Nevada State Director Jon Raby.
The Bishop fire, reported July 29, has burned 500 acres 14 miles south-southwest of Caliente, Nevada.
The accident occurred near the intersection of Kane Springs Road and Riggs Road, Ms. Morville said.
The fire is on land managed by the BLM. The two privately owned aircraft were under contract to the agency.
SEATs are small airplanes used to support wildland firefighters on the ground. They can deliver up to 800 gallons of fire retardant and operate in areas where larger airtankers cannot.
The names of the pilots have not been released.
Our sincere condolences go out to the pilots’ family, friends, and coworkers.
Bishop Fire, from Ella Mountain Lookout July 29, 2020. InciWeb photo.
Bishop Fire map. Data from 7:53 p.m. MDT July 29, 2020. BLM.Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Tom. Typos or errors, report them HERE.