Alaska Archives - Fire Aviation

Witnesses heard “snap” before firefighting helicopter crashed in Alaska

Bill Gabbert27. July 202227. July 2022HelicoptersAlaska, crash, LODD, UH-1

The transmission, rotor head, blades, and tail boom separated from the helicopter

A preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board indicates that before a helicopter crashed in Alaska on June 26, 2022 multiple witnesses heard a sound described as a “snap” or “bang”.

The UH-1B operated by Northern Pioneer Helicopters out of Big Lake, Alaska was attempting to assist firefighters by hauling equipment to the Clear Fire by a 125-foot long line. It was maneuvering at the Clear Airport 53 miles southwest of Fairbanks about 140 feet above the ground to have the end of the long line connected to the cargo.

Below is an excerpt from the NTSB preliminary report:

A video captured the helicopter’s final seconds before impact with the ground. The helicopter is seen hovering with the longline fully extended below the helicopter and the hook about 15 ft above the ground. As the pilot maneuvered the helicopter to hook up to the external load, a loud mechanical noise is heard, and a shudder is seen radiating through the helicopter followed by a roll to the right and a nose low descent. As the helicopter continued its nose low descent, the transmission with the rotor head and blades, along with the tail boom, separated from the helicopter before ground impact.

The pilot and sole occupant, Douglas Ritchie, 56, of Wasilla, AK, was killed in the crash.

There is a video on Instagram showing what may be the same helicopter working on another long line project in 2021.

The NTSB preliminary report is below.

Flight crews in Alaska having trouble finding lodging

Bill Gabbert28. June 2022Fixed wingAlaska, AT-802F Fire Boss

Single engine air tankers at Ladd Field at Fort Wainwright, AK June 22, 2022. AGray/BLM Alaska Fire Service.

The fire season in Alaska is on track to become one of the busiest on record. The number of acres burned so far this year, 1.4 million, is already more than the 30-year average of the total burned each year, 1.2 million.

The Alaska Division of Forestry (DOF) published an article on their AK Fire Info page saying that with the increased fire activity and the additional firefighting aircraft being used in the state they were having trouble finding lodging near airports for all of the pilots and their flight crews. Facilities were available in other locations throughout the state but the long travel distances between lodging and airports was decreasing flight time, and limiting how much the pilots could assist the firefighters on the ground.

The DOF wrote that in the Mat-Su area they were in need of help and were looking for services similar to a hotel or vacation rental. They were hoping to find hotel rooms, vacation rentals by owner, or bed and breakfasts for the pilots, air crews and aviation mechanics.

Later that same day they reported that the response was overwhelming and secured rooms for all of their fire personnel. “We couldn’t do this without you”, they wrote. “Thank you Alaska for making a difference!”

Pilot killed in Alaska helicopter crash

Bill Gabbert27. June 202227. June 2022HelicoptersAlaska, LODD9 Comments

From the Alaska Division of Forestry, June 27, 2022:

It is with sad and heavy hearts that we share the news that a pilot supporting the Clear Fire outside Anderson, AK, died in a helicopter crash. The pilot and sole occupant was Douglas Ritchie, 56, of Wasilla, AK. Wildland firefighters and aviators are a close community and are in support of the family, friends, and co-workers during this tragic time.

The crash occurred Sunday evening, June 26, 2022, while landing at the Anderson Airport’s helipad near milepost 280 of the Parks Highway. The Division of Forestry & Fire Protection (DOF) had contracted the 1960 Bell 204B “Huey” helicopter operated by Northern Pioneer Helicopters. The division is assisting the Alaska State Troopers and National Transportation Safety Board who are conducting an investigation.

We send our sincere condolences to the family, friends, and coworkers of Mr. Ritchie.

Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Tom.

Q400 air tanker spotted dropping on a fire at Anchorage, Alaska

Bill Gabbert25. June 2022Fixed wingAlaska, Conair, CV-580, Q400, T-5404 Comments

Conair expects to replace their L-188’s and CV-580’s with Q-400s

Q400 air tanker drops Elmore Fire Anchorage, Alaska — A Q400 air tanker, Tanker 540, drops on the Elmore Fire near Anchorage, Alaska June 23, 2022. Mike McMillan/ AK DOF.

Firefighters in Alaska were able to stop the spread of the Elmore Fire on the east side of Anchorage Thursday at 13 acres before it spread into structures. It was reported at 5 p.m. in the Campbell Track area near the intersection of Dowling and Elmore Roads.

Alaska Dept. of Forestry helicopter drops on the Elmore Fire, Anchorage, AK June 23, 2022. Mike McMillan-Alaska DOF.

The firefighters were assisted by one DOF helicopter and two fixed wing air tankers operated by Conair, a Q400 and a Convair 580. The Q400, Tanker 540, is seen above at the top of the article.

Elmore Fire, Anchorage, AK June 23, 2022. Brent Goodrum-Alaska Div. or Forestry

The DOF has a contract with Conair to supply two Convair 580 air tankers, but the company has the option to substitute one of their Q400 tankers for a 580 at the same price. One of the tankers is usually based at Palmer and the other at Fairbanks.

In 2021 Conair purchased 11 Q400 aircraft from Flybe Airlines. The first one was delivered at Conair facilities in Abbotsford, British Columbia, February 21, 2021. After being converted to air tankers, called A400ATs (Air Tanker), they will eventually replace the L-188’s and CV-580’s currently operated by Conair. Showcasing a Q400 in Alaska can increase the familiarity of the tanker among Conair’s potential clients.

Conair-Flybe air tanker — One of the Q400’s purchased by Conair being tested with its new retardant delivery system, while still wearing Flybe livery. C-FFQG is the new registration. Photo by Kyle Clarkson.

The repurposed Q400s are capable of holding up to 2,640 gallons of retardant. The CV-580s were produced between 1947 and 1954 and can carry up to 2,100 gallons. The Q400 cruises about 50 mph faster than a CV-580.

Before purchasing the 11 Q400’s from Flybe, Conair had two A400ATs operational within their fleet that were used in 2021 for the first time in the North American fire season, including Alaska. They also had one under contract in Australia during the 2020-2021 bushfire season.

Q400 air tanker — Tanker 74, a Conair Q400AT. Photo by Alexandre Dubath.

In 2017 the Conair Group secured a deal to sell six Q400MR (Multi-Role) air tankers to France’s Securite Civile (Department of Civil Defense and Emergency Preparedness). These were new aircraft that Conair purchased from Bombardier which can be reconfigured in a few hours to carry passengers, hence the Multi-Role designation. The new aircraft are replacing France’s old S-2 air tankers.

Chief Ranger/Pilot for Alaska’s Northern National Parklands Receives National Aviation Safety Award

Bill Gabbert28. January 2021Fixed wingAlaska, Top Cub1 Comment

Chief Ranger/Pilot Scott Sample

Congratulations to Chief Ranger/Pilot Scott Sample, the 2020 recipient of the National Park Service (NPS) Wright Brothers National Aviation Safety Award, which was presented to him on Tuesday, January 26 in Fairbanks, Alaska. This award “recognizes an individual or organization within the NPS at the park, regional, or national level who proactively promotes an open-minded attitude in the prevention of aviation mishaps and accidents, works diligently to correct and improve aviation safety deficiencies, and effectively communicates the actions and results to others.” It is given annually to aviation specialists who exemplify excellence in the field of aviation safety.

Sample was nominated for the award by the leadership of Big Bend National Park in Texas, as he had assisted the park with aviation missions as part of a detail in early 2020. The staff at Big Bend were extremely appreciative of and impressed by the amount and scope of work he accomplished while he was there, which included identifying and addressing a series of safety issues in the Big Bend aviation program, updating aviation plans, as well as advising and mentoring employees to ensure they completed required aviation training.

In addition to being responsible for the significant number of safety improvements, Sample also flew more missions per day in Big Bend than any other detail pilot had in the previous 18 months.

In his Chief Ranger role, Sample oversees visitor and resource protection in six northern Alaska national park units: Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Cape Krusenstern National Monument (where Sample started his Alaska career), Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park, Noatak National Preserve, and Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve.

Interesting background fact: the suggested caption for the photo supplied by the National Park Service included the fact that it was taken during the winter.

From the National Park Service

Single engine air tanker damaged while scooping in Alaska

Bill Gabbert22. July 202011. August 2022Fixed wingaccident, Alaska, AT-802F Fire Boss, SEAT

A single engine air tanker (SEAT) was damaged as it scooped water while working on a fire north of Fairbanks, Alaska July 14, 2020. Thankfully the pilot was not seriously injured.

The aircraft is an Air Tractor 802A Fire Boss, N80166, operated by Dauntless Air.

I reached out to the company’s CEO, Brett L’Esperance to get more information:

After almost three hours fighting fire from the same scoop site, one of our Fire Bosses “caught an edge” at the beginning of a scoop and got pulled hard right. Pilot tried correcting and almost pulled it off, but did end up running up on the bank of the scoop site and got stuck in the mud.
Airframe is fine, right wing was dinged by a tree on the edge of the lake and we’re assessing damage to the floats.
Pilot was not even bruised, but did scratch his thumb climbing out if the aircraft.

Below is the press release from the BLM Alaska Fire Service:

“(Fairbanks, Alaska) – No injuries were reported after an aircraft incident during suppression efforts on a wildfire about 120 air miles north of Fairbanks Tuesday afternoon. A BLM Alaska Fire Service dispatch center was notified at 3:56 p.m. of a incident involving a AT-802A Air Tractor Fire Boss working on the 15-acre Birch Creek Fire about 17 miles northwest of Circle. The Single Engine Air Tanker was one of six aircraft – four Fire Boss water scoopers, a helicopter and an air attack airplane guiding the suppression efforts – aiding eight BLM AFS smokejumpers on the ground. The aircraft was scooping out of an unnamed body of water about 2-3 miles north of the fire when the incident occurred. Two qualified emergency medical technician smokejumpers assessed the condition of the pilot, who was the sole occupant of the airplane and didn’t identify any injuries. The pilot was flown via BLM AFS helicopter to Fairbanks for further assessment at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital and released. The aircraft was deemed inoperable and will be removed from the scene after further investigation into the incident.

“The aircraft is owned by Dauntless Air Inc. of Appleton, Minn. and is one of four SEATs contracted by BLM AFS for Alaska’s fire season. All four were working on the fire at the time of the incident. The Department of the Interior Office of Aviation Services and the National Transportation Safety Board were notified.”

Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Bob. Typos or errors, report them HERE.

One of the four Alaska Department of Forestry employees hospitalized after airplane crash has been released

Bill Gabbert30. May 2020Fixed wingAlaska, crash

Aniak aircraft Crash — The wreckage of an Alaska Division of Forestry aircraft that crashed on takeoff at the Aniak, Alaska airport, May 28, 2020. Photo by David Mattson.

(This is updated information from the Alaska Department of Forestry about the aircraft crash that we earlier reported covered on May 28 and May 29.)

Three of the four Division of Forestry employees injured in a plane crash in the Western Alaska village of Aniak on Thursday are recovering in Anchorage hospitals today while the fourth has been treated and released.

The three individuals still hospitalized suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries and are in stable condition.

The pilot was identified as Mark Jordan, of Eagle River. The three emergency firefighters on board were identified as Albert Simon, of Hooper Bay; Craig Friday, of Hooper Bay; and Kelly Kehlenbach, of Aniak. The plane was en route from Aniak to McGrath, where the firefighters were to be outfitted for an assignment to support initial attack responses at the Kenai/Kodiak Area forestry station in Soldotna.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash, which occurred shortly after the plane took off from the Aniak airport at approximately 4 p.m. The plane, a state-owned Aero Commander 500 Shrike, crashed into a pond in a gravel pit.

Some of the rescuers at the Alaska Department of Forestry plane crash were teenagers

Bill Gabbert29. May 202030. May 2020Fixed wingAlaska, crash2 Comments

All four victims had serious but not life-threatening injuries

Aero Commander Alaska Department of Forestry — An example of an aircraft similar to the Aero Commander that crashed May 28 near Aniak, Alaska. Photo by Fred Seggie.

The four Alaska Department of Forestry (DOF) employees that were in the aircraft that crashed near Aniak, Alaska May 28 were transported to medical facilities in Anchorage, about 320 miles east of Aniak. In a May 29 update the DOF said their injuries were serious but not life-threatening. The plane was transporting emergency firefighters from two western Alaska villages to Soldotna to support initial attack wildfire responses for the Kenai/Kodiak Area Forestry station.

(Other articles about this incident were posted on April 28 and April 30.)

Shortly after takeoff the twin-engine Aero Commander 500 Shrike crashed into a water-filled gravel pit about 2.5 miles west of the northwest end of the runway.

Among the first at the scene were three teenagers (who were later joined by a fourth), ranging in age from 13 to approximately 19, that were driving past the area and saw the aircraft in the water, but did not see or hear it crash.

As they drove closer and parked they saw two people exiting the aircraft.

Three of the four teens waded into the water that Dylan Nicholson, 13, told us over the phone was chest-high on his five-foot tall body. The water was shallow enough that the plane was resting on the bottom of the pond. While standing in the water that Dylan said was “very cold”, they worked to remove the remaining two people from the damaged plane. They could not get the door open at first, so they broke out a window to help extricate the last two individuals; eventually they were able to force the door open. The teens called emergency services for help and others arrived to assist. Some of the rescuers were in the water for about half an hour, according to one report.

At least one of the patients was taken to a clinic in the teen’s truck. Others that were more seriously injured were moved to the shore in a boat and then transported by ambulance to the clinic. Later they were all flown to Anchorage.

Dylan and his mom Mary Turner said the other three teens that were among the first to arrive at the scene were Trevor Morgan, Arthur Simeon, and Mason Dallnann. Others (and we are probably missing some) included Skye Morgan, Dakota Phillips, and Billy Turner (their ages unknown).

The rescuers and their families sent us these photos:

Alaska Department of Forestry plane crash rescuers — Dylan Nicholson

Congratulations to these young people and the others that helped rescue the four victims of the crash. And we hope the four that were injured recover quickly.