It is with great sadness that I am writing two separate crashes of aircraft while fighting wildfires. Before I get to the specifics of the crashes, I want to give a shout out to all pilots and crews of aircraft used in wildland firefighting. I am quite aware that what you do comes with a degree of risk. You are flying fires, or flying a lead plane or observation aircraft in order to work with the crews on the ground. Together you are working to keep us as safe as possible from wildfires. There is rarely a day that I don't pause and remember all of you who are in the air working a wildfire in some way, and I pause and say a short prayer. Like crews on the ground, you may be away from your loved ones for days or weeks at a time.
Both crashes were reported by Bill Gabbert on Fire Aviation.
On Friday June 15th, an Air Tractor 802AF Fire Boss (Titan Aerial Firefighting) piloted by André Serra crashed while workin a wildfire in northwest Portugal. Mr Serra died died in the crash, my you rest in peace and always fly in favorable winds. My deepest condolences and prayers go out to Mr. Serra's family, friends, colleagues and all who loved him. For more information see Bill's June 16th post.
A Bernalillo County (NewMexico) Sheriff Department Bell UH-1H Huey Helicopter crashed on July 16th after assisting with ground crews on the East Mesa Fire in New Mexico. Bill Gabbert reported on the crash in a July 17th post. There were four people on the helicopter when it crashed. On July 18th, Bill identified the four dead crew on the helicopter, three are from the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department and one is a fire rescue speicalist with the Bernalillo County Fire Department:
- Lt. Fred Beers
- Deputy Michael Levison
- Undersheriff Larry Koren
- Bernalillo County Fire Rescue Specialist Matthew King
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