Aircrafts grounded following fireside helicopter crash

Town Crier “Briefs from the Region” (2) – 6/18/21

The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation grounded all aircrafts for 48-hours following a helicopter crash on June 15. The helicopter was responding to the Deep Creek Canyon Fire near Townsend. All five crew members aboard were able to exit safely. The DRNC has 10 aircrafts in its fleet that consist of seven helicopters and three fixed-wing aircrafts, all of which were grounded by the department “out of an abundance of caution,” officials said. The cause of the incident is still under investigation.

“It will allow us to finish reviewing the incident and debrief all of the aviation resources that were a part of the Deep Creek Fire accident,” DRNC officials said in an email, as reported by the Helena Independent Record.