NTSB Urges Ban On Aerial Hunts

Should ranchers and officials with the Department of Agriculture continue to use aircraft for hunting predators? That question has been answered by at least one authoritative source -- the NTSB.

Steve McCreary, an investigator with the NTSB, said flying close to the ground, as is required when hunting predators, and shooting a gun from a plane do pose some special safety risks.

"You do have to be a bit more precise," he said. "You have to be careful you don't shoot the plane, also." But he said it is unclear whether the safety record of such flights is any better or worse than general aviation.

Conservation groups have a different take on the matter

The group Sinapu, based in Boulder (CO), said it has documented 21 crashes involving federal predator control flights since 1989. The group said there are documented cases of the aircraft hitting trees and power lines and even instances in which the gunner accidentally shot the aircraft.

"Recent crashes that involved shooters who target wildlife from aircraft underscore the necessity of ending this practice," said Wendy Keefover-Ring, with Sinapu's carnivore protection program.

But that might not sit well in other parts of the government, away from the Department of Transportation and the NTSB.

The USDA is the largest operator of such flights through its predator control program. It uses 18 of its own aircraft and also contracts out to private pilots. In June, a USDA-operated predator control flight crashed near Big Timber (MT). The helicopter, operated by the wildlife services division of the USDA, lost all power while maneuvering about 40 feet off the ground, according to an NTSB initial report. The pilot and gunner suffered minor injuries.

But what's the real agenda here? Steve Pilcher, executive vice president of the Montana Stockgrowers Association, said he thinks environmentalists are using the plane crashes as a ruse to end the practice of killing predators. "Like any activity, there is a certain amount of risk attached to it," he said of the flights.

FMI: www.usda.gov, www.ntsb.gov