SASless
6th Jul 2006, 16:01
Second forest-fire crash in 2 days kills Ontario pilot
CBC News
A pilot from Ontario has been killed in the second fatal helicopter crash in two days during northern Alberta forest-fire duty.
In the latest crash, a Bell 206B Jet Ranger went down on Tuesday afternoon near Wabasca, northeast of Lesser Slave Lake, killing the 36-year-old pilot, who was alone in the helicopter.
The pilot from Niagara Falls was flying for the Alberta government, helping to suppress wildfires, the RCMP said on Wednesday. His name was not immediately released.
On Monday, a similar helicopter crashed near Grande Prairie, killing a fire-crew member, Darcy Moses, 20, of Valleyview, Alta. The pilot and two other people survived.
The Bell 206, hired by the province for initial attacks on forest fires, lost altitude and crashed moments after takeoff. The crew was checking for lightning strikes from a storm that passed through the area, a provincial official said.
The Transportation Safety Board is investigating both helicopter crashes as well as the unrelated crash of a light plane in northern Alberta.
CBC News
A pilot from Ontario has been killed in the second fatal helicopter crash in two days during northern Alberta forest-fire duty.
In the latest crash, a Bell 206B Jet Ranger went down on Tuesday afternoon near Wabasca, northeast of Lesser Slave Lake, killing the 36-year-old pilot, who was alone in the helicopter.
The pilot from Niagara Falls was flying for the Alberta government, helping to suppress wildfires, the RCMP said on Wednesday. His name was not immediately released.
On Monday, a similar helicopter crashed near Grande Prairie, killing a fire-crew member, Darcy Moses, 20, of Valleyview, Alta. The pilot and two other people survived.
The Bell 206, hired by the province for initial attacks on forest fires, lost altitude and crashed moments after takeoff. The crew was checking for lightning strikes from a storm that passed through the area, a provincial official said.
The Transportation Safety Board is investigating both helicopter crashes as well as the unrelated crash of a light plane in northern Alberta.