Contract Aircraft Went Down While Transporting Firefighting Personnel Near Weaverville, CA

The NTSB will hold a public Board meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 7, at 0930 EST, at its Washington, DC headquarters.

The only item on the agenda is discussion of an accident which occurred on August 5, 2008. a Sikorsky S-61N helicopter (N612AZ), impacted trees and terrain during the initial climb after takeoff, located at an elevation of about 6,000 feet in mountainous terrain near Weaverville, California. Impact forces and a post-crash fire destroyed the helicopter, which was being operated by the U.S. Forest Service as a public flight to transport firefighters and was contracted with Carson Helicopters, Inc. As a result of this accident, nine occupants were fatally injured and four were seriously injured.

A live and archived webcast of the proceedings will be available on the Board's website.

A summary of the Board's final report, which will include findings, probable cause and safety recommendations, will appear on the website shortly after the conclusion of the meeting. The entire report will appear on the website several weeks later.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov