Four Dead in California Helicopter Crash

[SASless]

News reports have a story about a four person fatal crash in California. Killed were three State Game Biologists and the Pilot. The aircraft struck a powerline during a game count survey flight.

Helicopter Crashes in California's Sierra National Forest, Killing 4 - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,582095,00.html?test=latestnews)

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MADERA, Calif. — Three California Department of Fish and Game biologists and a pilot were killed Tuesday afternoon when their helicopter crashed in a craggy stretch of the Sierra National Forest where they were surveying wildlife.
The crash happened in a narrow canyon near Redinger Lake after the Bell 206 helicopter struck a power line and sparked a blaze that scattered debris throughout a quarter-mile of brush, Madera County officials said.
Killed in the accident were two longtime state scientists, 48-year-old Clu Cotter and 40-year-old Kevin O'Connor, as well as a scientists' aide, 31-year-old Tom Stolberg, all of Fresno. Pilot Dennis Donovan also died, but his hometown and age were not released.
The men were conducting a routine aerial mission to study deer herds feeding in the steep, wooded region near the border of Fresno and Madera counties.
"This is just such a tragedy," said John Baker, the agency's Central District assistant chief. "Clu and Kevin were both wonderful family men and great friends, and Tom was just a quirky, neat guy with real varied interests. Finer people you could never meet."
The fire made the site inaccessible for several hours, but crews put out the blaze and had located the four men's bodies by late afternoon, sheriff's spokeswoman Erica Stuart said.
Harry Morse, a Fish and Game spokesman, said the agency contracted the helicopter from Landells Aviation of Desert Hot Springs.
A woman who answered the phone at Landells confirmed one of its helicopters was involved in the crash but could not provide other details and would not give her name.
Another Landells helicopter crashed in January 2007 during a deer-monitoring trip in the nearby Tulare County foothills, but the three men aboard experienced only minor injuries.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and members of the California Association of Professional Scientists offered their condolences and hailed the scientists' service.
Cotter's Facebook page describes him as a wildlife biologist who specialized in mesocarnivores and an avid bike rider who graduated from Cal Poly.
O'Connor, an environmental scientist, wrote about the diverse plant and animal species found in the state's ecological reserves in the southern Sierra Nevada range.
Several people familiar with their missions called the surveys risky work that often involved flying close to the ground in rugged terrain to study deer population and migration patterns.
"We knew them, and it hits home," said association Staff Director Christopher Voight.
The department temporarily grounded all helicopter surveys and captures Tuesday afternoon, and the National Transportation Safety Board was expected to take over the investigation of the crash.

[Gordy]

Taken from another site:

Mike Donovan. “Dennis” might be the first name listed on his pilot certificate, but everyone knew him as Mike. Mike and his three California Department of Fish and Game passengers died on Tuesday while conducting a deer census flight.

Mike knew a lot about flying helicopters. He started in the Navy, flying a Sikorsky in an ASW role, and continued as a civilian pilot for another 4 decades. Early on Mike lived for several years in Bishop, California where a primary responsibility was servicing the White Mountain High Altitude Research Station (12,500’ MSL) with his turbo-charged Bell 47. Most pilots never land even once at 12,500’, let alone a hundred times in something powered by pistons and sparkplugs. He was an accomplished fire and long-line pilot. Mike was among the first pilots hired by Mercy Air in 1989, and worked for Mercy/AMC for twenty years.

Mike had a long relationship with Landells Aviation and through them a long relationship with the California Department of Fish and Game. He had conducted numerous surveys of deer, elk and bighorn sheep throughout California. These surveys, which have been a tool of wildlife management for thirty years, require extended periods of low-level flight. To differentiate between a fawn and an adult deer the wildlife biologist might need to get a good look at the animal’s facial features, so low-level in this case means 40 – 70’ AGL. Mike had flown thousands of hours in this environment.

This is a sad day for Mike’s family, and the families of his passengers Clu Cotter, Kevin O’Connor and Tom Stolberg. This is a sad day for the good people at Landells Aviation and a sad day for aviation in general.


I personally did not know Mike, but like many, knew of him.

Later Mike..Shots facing West... http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j35/helokat/5shots.gif