Interim report released about helicopter crash at Idaho’s Moose Fire

N388RZ Boeing CH-47D at Penticton Airport
N388RA Boeing CH-47D preparing to take off at Penticton Airport in British Columbia July 16, 2022. Image from VMC Aviation Videos.

The US Forest Service has released a brief initial report about the July 21 crash of the Boeing CH-47D helicopter in the Salmon River while working on the Moose Fire 20 air miles northwest of Salmon, Idaho. The two pilots were killed.

Below is the complete text of the narrative section of the document which was dated July 22, 2022, but was not posted on the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned site until today around noon.

On Thursday, July 20, a call when needed CH-47D Series Chinook Helicopter crashed into the Salmon River, adjacent to the Indianola Work Center approximately 11 miles west of North Fork, Idaho on the Moose Fire. The aircraft sustained severe damage, the pilots were extracted and transported to hospitals but both sustained fatal injuries. The NTSB has been notified and will be conducting an accident investigation. The USDA Forest Service has assigned a learning review team.

The pilots, the only personnel on board, were Thomas Hayes, 41, of Post Falls, Idaho, and Jared Bird, 36, of Anchorage, Alaska.

The helicopter was operated by Anchorage-based ROTAK Helicopter Services.

The FAA confirms that the registration number of the helicopter is N388RA, which is one of two CH-47D ships ROTAK recently purchased from Columbia Helicopters.

area where the CH-47D crashed July 21, 2022
The general area where the CH-47D crashed July 21, 2022. Google Earth. The red shading represents an area burned in the Moose Fire.

There are unconfirmed reports that a hotshot crew was nearby when it crashed and they went into the Salmon River and extricated the pilots in an attempt to save them.

The last time Flight Aware tracked N388FA was at 3:02 p.m. MDT July 21. Because of the rugged terrain, it first showed it north of the Salmon Airport. Then it went northwest generally toward the Moose Fire and lost tracking at 3:12 p.m., minutes before it reached the river.

As an example of the terrain here is a photo of the Comet Fire I took a few years ago from Highway 93 just east of the current Moose Fire, 13 air miles north of Salmon, ID. The Salmon River is in the foreground.

Comet Fire, July 28, 2016
Comet Fire, July 28, 2016. Photo by Bill Gabbert.

The video below was shot at Penticton Airport in British Columbia July 16, 2022 when it stopped for fuel en route from Alaska to Idaho.

The GoFundMe fundraisers for the two pilots can be found through the following links:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-jared-birds-family-moose-fire-crash

https://www.gofundme.com/f/thomas-tommy-hayes-moose-fire-crash

Names released of four first responders killed in New Mexico helicopter crash

The four first responders that died Saturday July 16 when a Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office helicopter crashed northeast of Albuquerque, New Mexico have been identified: Undersheriff Larry Koren, Lieutenant Fred Beers, Deputy Michael Levison, and Rescue Specialist Matthew King. They were the only personnel on board.

All worked for the Sheriff’s Department except for Mr. King who was with the Bernalillo County Fire Department.

The Sheriff’s Department said in a news release July 17 that the “Metro 2” helicopter and its crew were assisting with the East Mesa Fire, providing bucket drops and other air logistics needs to fire crews on the ground.

Bernalillo County Sheriff's Dept. Metro 2
File photo of Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Dept. Metro 2. BCSO photo

The helicopter, a Bell UH-1H Huey, N911SZ, was destroyed.

Our sincere condolences go out to the families, friends, and co-workers of these men.

Sir Charles assists in campaign to get firefighting helicopters for Lake Tahoe

Charles Barkley, Tahoe helicopters
Charles Barkley and Tahoe Douglas Fire Chief Scott Lindgren are helping to spread the word about a campaign to acquire two firefighting helicopters for the Lake Tahoe area. Still image from South Lake Tahoe Now video.

NBA legend Charles Barkley is helping the Tahoe Douglas Fire Department spread the word about a campaign to acquire two firefighting helicopters for the Lake Tahoe area in Northern California, which according to the Fire Chief is devoid of permanent helicopter coverage.

From the description and amount of funds being sought, it appears their hope is to purchase two Sikorsky S-70i Firehawk helicopters capable of carrying up to 1,000 gallons of water and also capable of responding to medical incidents with a paramedic and full advanced life support equipment. In order to have continuous coverage with a helicopter, you need at least two in a fleet to account for scheduled and unexpected maintenance.

The article below by Paula Peterson was first published on SouthTahoeNow.com.


STATELINE, Nev. – Charles Barkley remembers the American Century Championship in July 2007 very well. He and the other celebrities had arrived at Lake Tahoe to golf in the annual tournament at Edgewood Tahoe, but that year it was different.

The devastating Angora Fire started off of North Upper Truckee Road on June 24, and before it was done on July 2 it had burned through 3,100 acres, destroyed 242 residences and 67 commercial structures, damaged 35 other homes, and engaged 2,180 firefighters.

Barkley said they couldn’t “yuck” it up at celebrity golf across the lake and have fun while nearby residents were dealing with such a catastrophe. He asked NBC if he could take a camera crew into the fire-damaged area.

“I came up here 15 years ago and saw catastrophic damage. It broke my heart. I’d actually never seen fire damage before,” said Barkley.

He donated $190,000 to recovery efforts for residents over the following two years and treated firefighters and their spouses to dinner at Harrahs Tahoe.

At Edgewood Tahoe Saturday, during the 33rd annual American Century Championship, Tahoe Douglas Fire Chief Scott Lindgren held a press conference with Barkley to highlight his agency’s Operation Save Lake Tahoe.

Lindgren has said there is a giant hole in the middle of the Sierra without firefighting helicopter coverage, and that is the Lake Tahoe Basin and surrounding mountains. He wants to change that with a $60 million plan that would bring two helicopters, a station, and training to not only Douglas County, but to the whole Lake Tahoe Basin and surrounding Sierra.

Fundraising efforts have been underway for months, but much more needs to be raised.

“So anything you can do to help, please help these guys get their helicopter, please, because, hey, we can’t let nothing happen to this place,” said Barkley.

“We can’t let it happen again,” Barkley said of the Angora Fire.

For more information or to donate, visit https://tahoefire.org/helicopter.

Firefighter injured by falling tree after water drop

Treated at hospital and released

Canyon Fire
Canyon Fire as seen from the Sunol Ridge 1 camera at 2:37 p.m. June 23, 2022

A Fremont, California firefighter was injured Thursday while working on the Canyon Fire northeast of the city near Sunol in Alameda County. The Fremont Fire Department said Thursday night that “the firefighter was hit by a falling tree after a water drop operation. Thankfully the firefighter was released from the hospital this evening and is expected to be ok.”

A reporter from KPIX TV, @KatiePPIX, said another firefighter was transported to a hospital for a heat related injury after working in “near triple digit temps.”

The spread of the fire was stopped after it burned 71 acres. Firefighters were assisted by helicopters and air tankers.

In the second video below, a large Type 1 helicopter can be seen making a drop on the Canyon Fire.

On May 29, 2022 three firefighters were injured when struck by water dropped from a large Type 1 helicopter on the Calf Canyon-Hermits Peak Fire in New Mexico. They were not injured directly by the water, but were knocked onto boulders by the force of the drop. It occurred while they were crossing a steep rocky piece of ground consisting boulders two to three feet in diameter, according to a preliminary report. The most seriously injured had multiple surgeries to repair facial fractures and a broken kneecap.

In 2018 three firefighters were injured and one was killed by falling tree debris resulting from an air tanker retardant drop. The accident occurred on the Ranch Fire which was part of the Mendocino Complex of Fires east of Ukiah, California.

Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Tom.

Three firefighters injured by water drop from helicopter

Occurred on the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire in New Mexico

Updated at 5:25 p.m. PDT June 7, 2022

A “72-hour preliminary report” dated June 6, 2022 shed a little additional light on the May 29 incident in which three firefighters were injured when struck by water dropped from a helicopter on the Calf Canyon-Hermits Peak Fire in New Mexico.

It adds that the hotshot crew was not injured directly by the water, but were knocked onto boulders by the force of the drop.

They were hit by the water “while they were crossing a steep rocky piece of ground, consisting of 2 to 3 foot diameter boulders. Three crewmembers were injured by falling in the rocks as a result of being impacted by the water drop” from a Type 1 helicopter.

The most seriously injured firefighter, who had multiple surgeries to repair facial fractures and a broken kneecap, was released from the hospital over the weekend and will be traveling home over the next several days, accompanied by family members and his crew supervisor.

A Facilitative Learning Analysis will be conducted “to share learning from unintended outcomes and to reduce the probability of future occurrences of similar events.”


3:08 p.m. PDT June 1, 2022

helicopter drop spot fire
File photo of a helicopter dropping water in support of a hand crew that was attacking a spot fire at the Wildomar Fire in Southern California at 4:24 p.m. October 26, 2017. Screen grab from KTLA live video.

Three firefighters were injured, one seriously, May 29, 2022 while working on the Calf Canyon / Hermits Peak Fire in Northern New Mexico.

According to a 24-hour preliminary report dated today June 1, the Bureau of Land Management Vale Interagency Hotshot Crew was holding a section of fire line when a large Type 1 helicopter “missed the identified drop area” while attempting to drop water on the fire edge. The last of the load landed on several crew members, three of which  were transported to a hospital in Santa Fe, NM, two by ground vehicle and the third by an agency helicopter.

One of them with severe injuries was later transferred to a hospital in Albuquerque where he has received multiple surgeries, one to repair skull fractures to the face, and the other to repair a broken knee cap. The employee is still in the hospital, accompanied by family and his crew supervisor. 

The other two firefighters received injuries described as minor; they were treated and released.

Other than the specifications of the helicopter qualifying it as a Type 1 ship, no other description was given in the report. Type 1 helicopters can carry between 700 and 3,000 gallons, ranging from the 700-gallon K-MAX to a 3,000-gallon Chinook.

The Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire in New Mexico started from two separate escaped prescribed fires which merged into one. It has burned more than 315,000 acres 20 to 47 miles east and northeast of Santa Fe.

Pilot killed in helicopter crash was former wildland firefighter

Lora Trout had more than 6 years experience on helitack and fire crews in Montana, Colorado, and California

Lora Trout
Lora Trout. Photo via USFS.

This article was first published at Fire Aviation.

A former wildland firefighter with experience on helitack and fire crews was killed in the crash of a helicopter in a Dallas suburb Friday.

After six years on the Teton Interagency Helitack crew in Jackson, Wyoming, Lora Trout left to fulfill her dream of flying helicopters full-time and return to fight fire as a pilot. Prior to her work in helitack she worked as a wildland firefighter on the White River National Forest in Colorado and the Boise National Forest in Idaho. She also worked as a helitack squad boss on the Tonto National Forest in Arizona.

Lora Trout
Lora Trout. USFS photo.

She became licensed as a helicopter pilot and got a job as a tour pilot, then achieved the next step, becoming certified as flight instructor.

Tail rotor
Investigator with tail rotor from the March 25 helicopter crash. ABC 8 image.

Lora was giving a lesson to Ty Wallis Friday when the tail boom separated from the Robinson R44, (N514CD), causing the helicopter to crash and catch fire in a vacant lot in Rowlett, Texas. Both were killed.

“Lora was a dear friend, dedicated coworker, physical fitness leader, and an immediate positive influence to all she knew,” said a statement from the Bridger-Teton National Forest. “Her charismatic wit and strength were evident in all she did, particularly in her passion for aviation and wildland firefighting. To those that knew her, she was a “go to” for advice, help, and humor.”

In a series of Tweets, Elan Head, a helicopter pilot and contributor to Vertical Magazine, said Lora was qualified as a Helicopter Manager, Short Haul, and was an EMT. Ms. Head described Lora as a friend and a “bad ass.” Check out the Twitter thread below (or see it on Twitter).

In a YouTube video, Juan Browne said the main rotor struck the tail boom, causing the separation of the tail rotor assembly.

It appears that the only photos without Lora showing a big smile are when she has her back turned.

Lora Trout
Lora Trout. Photo via USFS.

Our sincere condolences go out to the family, friends, and coworkers of Lora.