By John Driscoll
Eureka Times Standard
HAPPY CAMP, Ore. — The helicopter that crashed while working on a wildfire outside Happy Camp in July is believed to have struck a tree, leading to the fatal wreck, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.
Firefighters working on the Elk Fire 12 miles southeast of the little town saw the crash of the government-contracted helicopter the morning of July 23. The Bell 205 A1 helicopter was delivering water to the crews on the edge of the Marble Mountain Wilderness.
The report reads that while the chopper lowered to the ground the containers of water -- hanging from a 150-foot-long line -- firefighters saw the aircraft drift right. The main rotor then struck a 165-foot tree, turned to the left, then pitched downhill before it crashed and caught fire.
Killed in the crash was veteran pilot Dennis Luster Davis, 61, of Boise, Idaho. Davis flew for Idaho Helicopters.
The report suggests there was no obvious mechanical malfunction leading to the wreck. The information was gathered by U.S. Forest Service investigators, who will submit further findings to the NTSB, which will review the information and file a final report.
Larry Kelley, president of Idaho Helicopters, questioned the Forest Service’s choice of location for the water drop. A wider clearing with fewer tall trees may have been available nearby, he said.
The initial tree strike that appears to have precipitated the crash was caught on cell-phone video by a firefighter, Kelley said. At this point, Kelley said, he cannot speculate on whether Davis was at fault or not. The NTSB has told Idaho Helicopters the investigation may take up to a year, he said.
“Until then we have questions,” Kelley said, “but maybe the investigation will answer those questions.”
A call to the NTSB office overseeing the investigation was not returned by deadline.
Duane Lyon, public information officer with the Klamath National Forest, said it would not be appropriate to comment on the crash while it is under investigation.
The Elk Fire Complex, which includes the Elk Fire, has burned more than 17,600 acres and is considered 90 percent contained.
The crash was the second fatal crash in the area in a year. On Aug. 4, 2006, pilots Terry “Jake” Jacobs, 48, of Kern County and 38-year-old Andrei Pantchenko of Oregon died when their Sikorsky CH-54A Skycrane helicopter crashed into the Klamath River after part of its tail rotor fell off.
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