Story Published:
Aug 11, 2004 at 10:00 AM PST
Story Updated:
Jul 24, 2009 at 10:43 AM PST
CHELAN COUNTY - A helicopter crashed Wednesday while
ferrying supplies to firefighters in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness
northwest of here, killing the pilot.
No one else was aboard when the aircraft went down about 20
miles northwest of Leavenworth in the North Cascades, Chelan County
Sheriff Mike Harum said.
The pilot was Mike Ward, 55, of Clayton, Ga., said Rick Acosta
of the U.S. Forest Service. Ward was an employee of Helicopter
Express of Lawrenceville, Ga.
A team of Forest Service and National Transportation Safety
Board officials were due to arrive Thursday to investigate the
crash, Acosta said.
The Bell 205 helicopter had been contracted by the U.S. Forest
Service to bring equipment to firefighters battling a small
lightning-caused fire when it crashed at 10:20 a.m.