A helicopter pilot lost his life on Wednesday, August 19th, while fighting a fire in the Coalinga area of California. Family members identified the fatal victim as 52-year-old Mike Fournier.
According to the Federal Aviation Authority Spokesperson Ian Gregor, the helicopter crashed under unknown circumstances 11 miles south of New Coalinga Municipal Airport around 10 a.m. It happened in a remote area southwest of the Hills Fire.
Cal Fire spokesman Seth Brown confirmed that the aircraft belonged to a company contracted to make water drops in the burning area. Fournier was the only occupant of the helicopter. The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said that it took six and a half hours for rescue workers to go in and out of the crash site.
They recovered the man’s body at about 8:30 p.m. Cal Fire Fresno’s Seth Brown said they experienced 15, 20, and 25 miles per hour winds, making the area very dusty and smoky, which in turn, made visibility weak. He added that the smoke blanketed Coalinga early Wednesday morning.
The investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are working together to determine probable cause.
Aircraft crashes are not very common, and their occurrence often ends fatally for those onboard. Common causes of this type of accident are pilot error, mechanical defects, negligence of air traffic control personnel, malfunction of flight equipment, and adverse weather conditions like fog, heavy rainfall, and thunderstorm.
Disclaimer: The Accident News article you just read includes information obtained from numerous sources. These sources include, but are not limited to, websites and press releases from law enforcement, the county coroner, fire departments, and other news outlets. While we strive to provide readers with the most accurate information, sometimes the information received is not entirely accurate. For complete details, please refer to an official police report.
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