A helicopter pilot lost his life in a crash in the Payson area of Arizona on Tuesday, July 7th. In a press conference held the same day, officials from the Tonto National Forest confirmed the accident and identified the victim as Bryan Boatman, 37.
The man worked with Airwest Helicopters, Glendale, and he left behind a wife and an 8-year-old child. The Chief of the Pine Strawberry Fire District said that Boatman’s wife arrived at the crash site as they received his body from the wreckage.
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The accident report revealed that the victim was working on the Polles Fire, and he was the only person onboard the aircraft. The helicopter crashed while he was transporting supplies for hand crews north of the central fire in a remote area only accessible by foot or by helicopter.
The fire district’s Incident Commander received a report of the crash at about 12:22 p.m., and a sergeant with the sheriff’s office was conveyed to the scene by short-haul. The latter means getting suspended on a rope under a helicopter. The officer worked with other on-ground personnel to remove Boatman’s remains and investigate the crash site.
A federal Aviation Administration spokesman said the aircraft, a UH-1H, went down about 10 miles west of Payson. Coordinator of the Payson Airport, Dennis Dueker, said the occurrence led to a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) order, grounding all flights in the area. The cause of the crash remains unknown, but the investigation is ongoing.
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