Firefighting Aircraft Went Down In 2008, Fatally Injuring Nine People

A former vice president with Carson Helicopters in Grants Pass, OR has pleaded guilty to falsifying aircraft weights on documents provided to the U.S. Government so that his company would win a contract with the U.S. Forest Service.

Steven Metheny of Medford, OR pleaded guilty to charges of fraud and conspiracy in Federal Court in Medford on Monday. The charges were two of 22 that had been filed against him, according to the Associated Press.

In 2008, one of Carson Helicopters' aircraft went down while fighting the Iron 44 fire in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest near Weaverville, CA. All nine people on board the aircraft were fatally injured. It is still the deadliest accident involving a firefighting helicopter in U.S. history.

According to the NTSB, the aircraft was more than 3,000 pounds over Forest Service guidelines when it went down. A Portland jury found that an engine problem was responsible for the accident.

In a statement, U.S. Attorney Amanda Marshall said that the incorrect information provided by Metheny created a "reckless risk of harm to those who used the information in firefighting operations."

In his plea agreement, Metheny admitted to a conspiracy with Carson's former director of maintenance Levi Phillips to submit incorrect empty weights for their Sikorsky S-61N helicopters. Phillips pleaded guilty to fraud in 2013 and had agreed to testify against Metheny.

Metheny faces as much as 25 years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced March 2.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.ord.uscourts.gov/index.php/contact-us-298/medford-division