The investigation into last year’s fatal crash of a 1965 Carson Helicopter Sikorsky S-61N is beginning to take on the tenor of a high-stakes suspense novel. Although an official probable cause has yet to be issued, the reams of documents released to date by the NTSB, and a preemptory rebuttal from Carson and its lawyers contained in those documents, are rife with suggestions of document irregularities, post-crash evidence tampering, bureaucratic intransigence and cover-ups.
The 35,000-hour helicopter
crashed on August 5 last year while lifting off from Iron #44, a 6,000-foot-msl helispot on the Buckhorn Fire in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, 15 miles northwest of Junction City, Calif. The helicopter was en route to the firebase at Weaverville, Calif. The NTSB preliminary report states that the helicopter experienced a loss of power to the main rotor during takeoff initial climb, and subsequently crashed into trees and terrain at 7:41 p.m. local time.
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