The CBC reported that a fire pilot with no passengers went down Friday in a Bell B212 near Fort Good Hope, Northwest Territories. Fire information officer Mike Westwick said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Transportation Board of Canada (TSB) are responding to the incident.
The Canadian Press reported Tuesday evening that Great Slave Helicopters (GSH) said pilot Tom Frith died while fighting 20,000-acre fire near the Fort Good Hope community, about 800 km northwest of Yellowknife.
The company expressed condolences to Frith’s family. “He was a beacon of light,” GSH said. “He was beloved by all who had the privilege of knowing him. Our heartfelt condolences to Tom’s wife, children, parents, brothers and all extended family and friends in Yellowknife and in Australia.”
The TSB said it will activate a an investigative team; Great Slave Helicopters (GSH), and CKLB Radio reported that there were no passengers besides Frith, the pilot in the helicopter. Fort Good Hope Chief Collin Pierrot related it was a very difficult weekend for the community.
It was about 2 p.m. Friday when the RCMP received its first report of the accident, and before the end of the day the TSB was involved in the B212 investigation.
Pierrot said he got the news of a the helicopter crash while he was in a fire management meeting. The incident happened at the Fort Good Hope airport and involved only the Bell B212. The TSB investigators accessed the crash site on Sunday and are now collecting data and interviews.
Fort Good Hope has been under an evacuation order since June 15 as a fire burns at the edge of town.