The helicopter was transporting firefighters who were responding to a wildfire. The pilot-in-command, a safety crewmember, and seven firefighters were killed, while the copilot and three other firefighters were seriously injured. The helicopter was consumed in a post-crash fire. The helicopter was being operated by the U.S. Forest Service under a contract with Carson Helicopters, Inc. Visual meteorological conditions were present and a visual rules flight plan was filed.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined the probable causes of the crash to be intentionally exaggerated specifications of the helicopter by Carson, including an understatement of the helicopter’s empty weight, the alteration of the power available chart to exaggerate the helicopter’s lift capability, and the use of above-minimum specification torque in performance calculations that resulted in pilots overestimating the helicopter’s load-carrying capacity. Contributing factors included the failure of the flight crew to recognize the limits of the maximum performance capability of the helicopter, and the intense fire that resulted from the non-crash resistant fuel tanks, cabin seats, and cabin seat restraints.
Slack Davis Sanger represented the estate of one of the firefighters who died in the crash. Mike Slack’s detailed knowledge of aviation and experience with cases of this sort contributed to his negotiations for a substantial settlement for the firefighter’s family. This accident is the deadliest helicopter crash involving firefighters in United States history.