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The two aerial firefighters killed in July 10 aircraft crash in Arizona have been identified

Bill GabbertJuly 11, 2021July 11, 2021UncategorizedArizona, crash, lodd3 Comments

5:20 p.m. MDT July 11, 2021

File photo, example of a King Air C-90. This is not the aircraft that crashed.

The Bureau of Land Management has released the names of the two men killed July 10 in the crash of an air attack aircraft in Arizona.

The incident occurred at about noon during initial attack efforts on the Cedar Basin Fire, which is 14 miles east of Wikieup in northwestern Arizona.

Pilot Matthew Miller, 48, and Air Tactical Group Supervisor Jeff Piechura, 62, were on board a Beechcraft King Air C-90 aircraft conducting visual reconnaissance and aviation command and control over the fire. Mr. Miller was a fire pilot with Falcon Executive Aviation, Inc. contracted by the U.S. Forest Service. Mr. Piechura was an employee with the Coronado National Forest. Their remains have been recovered from the accident site.

Often eyewitness accounts are wrong.

But, the Arizona Republic interviewed a woman who saw the aircraft from her home coming down at a “steep angle” and then “slam into the ground.” An hour later she and her husband drove to an area near the crash. They said Bureau of Land Management employees told them they they witnessed a wing fall off the plane in the air before it crashed.

We are aware of four other wildland fire related aircraft crashes in North America this year in a 46-day period, for a total of 7 fatalities:

A helicopter went into Lake Shastina July 7 while working on the Lava Fire in Northern California. The pilot swam away.
The pilot of a helicopter that crashed while fighting a fire in Alberta, Canada was killed when the Bell 212 went down June 28.
A helicopter crashed and burned while working on the Deep Creek Canyon Fire in Montana June 15. Everyone walked away.
Four were killed in the May 25 crash of a helicopter at Leesburg, Florida.

In 2020 during a 49-day period that began July 7 there were six crashes of firefighting aircraft — three helicopters and three air tankers. In addition, three members of the crew of a C-130 from the U.S. died when their air tanker crashed January 23, 2020 while fighting a bushfire in New South Wales, Australia.

The article was edited to show that there were no reported serious injuries in the June 15 helicopter crash.

Crash of air attack aircraft in Arizona kills two aerial firefighters

Bill GabbertJuly 10, 2021Wildfireair attack, aircraft, crash, lodd3 Comments

14 miles northeast of Wikieup

This article was first published on Fire Aviation.

Two aerial firefighters were killed July 10 in the crash of an air attack aircraft associated with a wildfire in Arizona. It occurred on the Cedar Basin Fire which is 14 miles northeast of Wikieup, Arizona and 43 miles southeast of Kingman, Arizona.

Below is the statement released Saturday night July 10.

“The Bureau of Land Management is currently working with other local, state, and federal agencies to respond to a fatal aircraft accident associated with the Cedar Basin Fire near Wikieup, Arizona. The accident occurred around noon today (July 10) and involved an air attack aircraft performing aerial reconnaissance and command and control over the fire. Two crew members were on board and we are sad to report there were no survivors. We will provide additional information pending next of kin notification. Our hearts go out to the families of our brave wildland firefighters.”

The Cedar Basin Fire, a result of thunderstorms, was reported to dispatch July 9 after 6 p.m. That night it was not possible to get a good visual due to darkness. On July 10 a helicopter performed a reconnaissance and discovered an active fire. Later that night the fire had burned about 300 acres.

We send our sincere condolences to the families, friends, and co-workers of the two firefighters.

Map Cedar Basin Fire — Map showing the location of the Cedar Basin Fire at 2:54 p.m. MDT July 10, 2021.

Helicopter pilot killed in crash while fighting wildfire in Alberta

Bill GabbertJune 29, 2021UncategorizedAlberta, Canada, crash, helicopter, lodd3 Comments

There were no other personnel on board

The pilot of a helicopter that crashed while fighting a fire in Alberta, Canada was killed when the Bell 212 went down Monday evening. It occurred on a fire near the community of Evansburg. The body of the pilot, the only person on board, was recovered Monday.

The pilot’s family has been notified.

From CBC news:

Emergency crews were called to the scene around 6:30 p.m. after RCMP received a 911 call reporting the crash. Evansburg RCMP, EMS, firefighters and Alberta Wildfire responded to the site in a remote area west of Highway 22 and north of Highway 16 in Yellowhead County.

The location is not accessible by road and police were brought to the scene by aircraft.

Logan said the terrain of the remote crash site was “difficult” but witness accounts helped first responders narrow their search for the wreckage.

“It wasn’t an exhaustive search because many eyewitnesses saw the helicopter go down,” Fraser said.

RCMP are cooperating with Transportation Safety Board (TSB) investigators who are taking charge of the investigation, Logan said.

Our sincere condolences go out to the pilot’s family, friends, and co-workers.

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

Smokejumper Tim Hart passes away

Bill GabbertJune 3, 2021October 20, 2021Uncategorizedlodd, smokejumpers18 Comments

Tim Hart, the smokejumper critically injured May 24 in a hard landing while parachuting into the Eicks Fire in New Mexico has passed away. Tim had been flown via air ambulance to a hospital in El Paso, Texas where he has been treated for the last 11 days.

The U.S. Forest Service announced the fatality today in an email sent by Laurel Beth McClean, Executive Assistant to FS Chief Vicki Christiansen, on behalf of the Chief.

“I am deeply saddened to share with you that Tim Hart, a smokejumper from the West Yellowstone Smokejumper Base in Montana, passed away last night as a result of injuries he sustained when jumping on the Eiks Fire in New Mexico on May 24.

“Tim grew up in Illinois and lived with his wife in Cody, Wyoming. During his firefighting career Tim was an Engine Crew Member on the Coconino, Fremont-Winema, and Shoshone National Forests. He was a Lead Firefighter on the Ashville and Ruby Mountain (with the BLM) Hotshot Crews. He moved to Grangeville, Idaho as a Rookie Smokejumper in 2016. In 2019, he transitioned to West Yellowstone and the Custer Gallatin National Forest first as a Squad Leader and then as a Spotter. His life touched many people across the Forest Service and the wildland fire community. He will be greatly missed.

“My heart goes out to Tim’s family, friends and colleagues, and I ask all of you to keep them in your thoughts and prayers. And, please continue to look out for each other. I draw my strength, every day, from the compassion and dedication each of you exhibit in service to our nation. During times of great loss, as we and our partners have experienced over the past week, we pause to reflect on the lives we have lost and the void that can never be filled – and we hold on to, and sustain each other.”

Condolences Mailing Address:

c/o Shoshone National Forest
808 Meadow Lane Ave., Cody, WY 82414

Shoshone National Forest will ensure families receive all condolences.

We send out our sincere condolences to Mr. Hart’s family, friends, and co-workers.

Four killed in Blackhawk helicopter crash in Florida

Bill GabbertMay 26, 2021UncategorizedBrainerd Helicopters, crash, Florida, lodd1 Comment

FAA reports they were conducting fire water drop exercises

Leesburg Airport map — Leesburg Airport aerial photo. Google.

This article first appeared on FireAviation.com

Updated at 7:39 p.m. EDT May 26, 2021

Preliminary information is now available from the FAA about yesterday’s fatal helicopter crash in Central Florida:

Aircraft conducting fire water drop exercises, lost control of the bucket causing the rotor section to separate, crashed in a wooded area, and caught on fire. Leesburg, FL.

The FAA reports there were four fatalities, one flight crew member and three passengers.

Local media is reporting city officials said the bodies all four crew members were recovered from the crash site and are in the custody of the medical examiner’s office. Their names have not been released.

The aircraft, N9FH, was a Sikorsky UH-60A, a Blackhawk registered to Brainerd Helicopters Inc. out of Leesburg, Florida. The police department described the owner as Brainerd Helicopters Inc./Firehawk Helicopters, located at Leesburg International Airport.

Brainerd has firefighting contracts with the Federal government and other organizations.

We extend our sincere condolences to the families, friends, and coworkers of the four individuals.

In 2017 I took photos of some of Brainerd’s Firehawks at their facility in Boise.

10:57 a.m. EDT May 26, 2021

A Blackhawk helicopter crashed Tuesday afternoon near Leesburg International Airport in Central Florida. The incident was reported at 5:47 p.m. One fatality has been confirmed and the other three on board have not been found. A black column of smoke was seen at the crash site.

From the Leesburg Fire Rescue Facebook page Monday evening:

No survivors have been located. ONE confirmed death at this time. Most of the fire is under control now. US forestry is on scene plowing a line around the scene to prevent any vegetation fires. FAA has been notified of the crash and will start their investigation tomorrow.

The Miami Herald reported that the helicopter was on a firefighting training exercise.

Based on preliminary information, it appears that the helicopter went into a spin, and at some point its tail separated, Leesburg Police Capt. Joe Iozzi told WKMG, a TV station in the Orlando area.

“The tail actually went onto the airport runway area while the main body of the helicopter went into the wooded swampy area which is making it difficult for rescue crews to get back to,” Iozzi told the news station.

As this was written at 10:57 a.m. EDT May 26, the names of the personnel on board or the agency operating the helicopter have not been released.

Documentary about the 1977 Honda Canyon Fire accepted at film festivals

Bill GabbertMay 24, 2021UncategorizedCalifornia, Honda Canyon Fire, lodd3 Comments

Four firefighters were killed on the fire at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Southern California

A documentary film about the 1977 Honda Canyon Fire that killed four people and injured 65 on Vandenberg Air Force Base has been accepted at multiple film festivals. It is based on the book by Joseph N. Valencia titled Beyond Tranquillon Ridge.

The film, titled Firestorm 77, is available for streaming at the Malibu International Film Festival now. It will also be streaming at the Big Bear Film Summit in Big Bear, California June 11-27).

More information is at the film’s Facebook page.

Mr. Valencia, one of the first firefighters on the fire, served as a technical consultant on the documentary which is adapted from the book.

Here is how Mr. Valencia described the fire to us in an email:

A combination of hurricane-force winds and the snapping of an electrical pole starts the Honda Canyon Fire on Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, early in the morning of December 20, 1977. Over a thousand people consisting of professional firemen and military personnel fight the fire. Outlier winds would increase to over a hundred miles per hour, making the firefight almost impossible. Four fatalities and sixty-five injuries resulted. Ten-thousand acres burn, resulting in significant damage to the military installation infrastructure. Ironically and fortuitously, the fire will be out, a little more than 30 hours later, due to a rain storm-front coming in.

Others working on the film included producer Dennis R. Ford and Christopher Hite, Director of Photography and Cinematographer. Mr. Ford was one of the firefighters on the fire.

The fatalities in 1977 included the Base Commander Colonel Joseph Turner, Fire Chief Billy Bell, Assistant Fire Chief Eugene Cooper, and Heavy Equipment Operator Clarence McCauley.

Below is a two-page brochure about the film:

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