Pilot Killed in Helicopter Crash at AK Wildfire

Jun. 27—The pilot of a helicopter working a wildland fire in Interior Alaska was killed in a crash Sunday evening, Alaska State Troopers said.

The 1960 Bell 204B "Huey" crashed at the Anderson Airport's helipad, troopers wrote in a statement. Pilot 56-year-old Douglas Ritchie of Wasilla died in the crash, troopers said. No one else was in the helicopter.

The helicopter was taking off on a sling-load operation to bring equipment to the fire when the crash happened around 7:30 p.m., said Clint Johnson, chief of the National Transportation Safety Board's Alaska office. The helicopter caught fire after the crash, he said.

The helicopter was operated by Northern Pioneer Helicopters and had been contracted by the Department of Natural Resources to help with wildland firefighting, troopers said.

It had been assigned to the Clear Fire, which spread to more than 9,500 acres by Sunday and prompted evacuations near Anderson.

It's too early to tell what may have caused the crash, Johnson said, but two NTSB investigators and a helicopter engineering specialist were headed to the scene on Monday.

Ritchie's remains will be autopsied, troopers said.

Four people were injured in 2020 when a plane transporting wildland firefighters crashed into a lake near Aniak. The wrong type of fuel had been put into the plane before takeoff.

Ritchie was involved in previous firefighting operations and was a longtime pilot in Alaska, said Sam Harrel, an information officer with the Alaska Division of Forestry.

"The wildfire community, firefighters and aviators, we're a pretty close-knit community and this hits us all hard," Harrel said. "But we also realized what the mission is and the job that we need to focus on and get done."

Harrel said crews are continuing to work on more than 20 fires burning Monday across the state. Hot, dry and windy conditions forecast this week are expected to increase fire danger.

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