Helo Owner Believes Drop Location Choice A Factor

According to a National transportation Safety Board preliminary report, a firefighting helicopter that went down in July likely struck a tree.

As ANN reported, a Bell 205 A1 helicopter helping fight a forest fire went down in the Klamath National Forest in Yreka, CA while transporting a large water container to ground firefighters to refill their hand-pump backpacks. Several of the firefighters saw the crash and notified emergency dispatchers, according to the Associated Press.

Pilot Dennis Luster Davis, 61, of Boise, ID perished in the accident.

The firefighters who witnessed the accident told investigators, "as the blivets were set down on the forest floor, the helicopter drifted to the right and the main rotor blades contacted a tree. The long line along with the blivets remained attached to the helicopter as it made a turn to the left, stopped momentarily, and then flew downhill," according to the NTSB report.

No abnormal engine sounds were heard by witnesses.

The helicopter had a 150-foot longline; the tree that the helicopter struck was about 165 feet tall. The main rotor struck the top 15 feet of the tree. There were no obvious mechanical malfunctions noted with the engine, said the report.

According to the Eureka (OR) Times Standard, Larry Kelley, president of Idaho Helicopters, which owned the helicopter, has questioned the water drop location chosen by the United States Forest Service. He believes there might have been a larger clearing in the vicinity.

The initial tree strike was caught on a cell phone video by a firefighter, Kelley said. But, he says he can't say if any fault lay with Davis. The investigation could take up to a year, he said.

"Until then we have questions," Kelley said, "but maybe the investigation will answer those questions."

The Elk Fire Complex, which includes the Elk Fire, is considered 90 percent contained and has burned more than 17,600 acres.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov, www.fs.fed.us, www.idahohelicopters.com