Pilot Employed With Dept. Of Natural Resources

The Wisconsin aviation community mourned Thursday the loss of a pilot flying in support of forest fire suppression operations the day before.

The New Richmond News reports Heath Van Handel, 36, was the only person onboard the Cessna 337 inline-twin that crashed Wednesday afternoon near Pittsville. Van Handel, a former commercial pilot and CFI at Kansas State University in Salinas, was responding to a wildfire near the town of Cary when his plane went down.

An employee with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources since 2006, Van Handel was to function as an air attack pilot and observation pilot at the scene of the fire.

"Heath Van Handel was a courageous, experienced pilot who was working to protect our citizens and their properties from a fire today," said Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle on Wednesday. "We owe Heath tremendous gratitude for his extraordinary service and dedication. The First Lady and I are praying for him, his wife Jennifer, their children and all the others who love him."

The plane crashed at 2:26 pm Wednesday, for as-yet undetermined reasons. The FAA and NTSB were expected to be on scene Thursday.

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 2489S        Make/Model: C337      Description: 337, M337, MC337, T337B/C/D/E/F/H  (Turb
  Date: 04/08/2009     Time: 1928

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Unknown

LOCATION
  City: PITTSVILLE   State: WI   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT  CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THE ONE PERSON ON BOARD WAS
  FATALLY INJURED, NEAR PITTSVILLE, WI

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   1
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   1     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:   0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: NOT REPORTED

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Unknown      Phase: Unknown      Operation: OTHER

  FAA FSDO: MILWAUKEE, WI  (GL13)                 Entry date: 04/09/2009

FMI: www.dnr.state.wi.us/, www.faa.gov