LYTTON, B.C. - An Ontario helicopter pilot who was helping to fight one of British Columbia's many forest fires was still missing Saturday, a day after he disappeared during a dramatic rescue attempt on the rushing waters of the Fraser River.
Robert Christopher Woodhead, 53, of Stoney Creek, Ont., was operating a Bell 212 with a water bucket Friday afternoon when the aircraft when down in the Fraser River near Lytton.
Woodhead, who police said was based in British Columbia, was last seen in the water just after the crash by another pilot who watched from the air as the helicopter went down, said RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk.
"A valiant attempt was made by lowering his line and bucket into the river near Mr. Woodhead," Moskaluk said in an interview Saturday.
"However, he was not successful in getting the line to him and did eventually lose visual sight of the pilot in the water."