Pilot of single-engine air tanker killed in Malheur National Forest crash identified as lifelong pilot, 74
BURNS, Ore. (KTVZ) – Authorities on Sunday released the name of the single-engine air tanker pilot killed while helping fight an Eastern Oregon wildfire: James Bailey Maxwell, 74, an experienced pilot who had spent 54 years flying and logged about 24,000 hours of flight time.
Maxwell was killed late Thursday night in the crash of the single-engine Air Tractor 802A after responding to a new lightning start, the Parasol Fire, near the much-larger Falls Fire. The plane was found the next morning in steep, wooded terrain after an all-night air and ground search.
"He is survived by and will be missed by family members in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington," the statement on the Malheur National Forest Facebook page said.
"The Maxwell family and firefighters are grateful for the support being expressed throughout the community and online," the forest's announcement said. "Services have not been announced at this time and the family asks for privacy while they mourn."
BLM Field Manager Lisa Clark said she did not know Maxwell's hometown, but he was based out of Burns for the firefighting season. She said the pilot had dropped his retardant load to help slow or stop the flames and was returning to Burns at the time of the crash.
The initial search for the missing plane and pilot in the area west of Seneca involved ground resources and helicopters, Clark said. A National Guard helicopter with night vision infrared was able to search after dark, but thick smoke in the area on Friday morning kept helicopters grounded.
Grant County Sheriff's Search and Rescue was searching when they located the crash site around 8 a.m. A procession of vehicles was arranged to bring the pilot to a funeral home in John Day.
Maxwell was flying one of the SEAT planes helping in initial attack on a new lightning start, what became known as the Parasol Fire. It's located northeast of the Falls Fire, a more than 2-week-old human-caused blaze 13 miles northwest of Burns that has burned over 142,000 acres, has more than 1,500 firefighting personnel and as of Sunday was 57% contained. It's one of several "mega-fires" (over 100,000 acres) around Oregon and the west. The Parasol Fire as of Sunday has burned nearly 500 acres.
"A single engine air tanker, or SEAT, is the smallest air tanker in the fire suppression fleet," the Forest Service noted. "These highly maneuverable aircraft can deliver up to 800 gallons of fire retardant or water to wildland firefighters on the ground."
Along with the immediate aspects of dealing with the tragic accident, Clark noted the support federal agencies like the BLM and Forest Service provide fire crews for the longer term.
"We have a program called CISM - critical incident stress management," she said. "We bring in specialists to talk to anyone who wants to talk."
"We also encourage firefighters to get emotional/mental health care year-round," Clark added. "Often, the task of getting back to work and doing something positive and important is critical and it helps them - but when fire season slows in the winter, all the feelings come back. So we focus on year-round care now."
