Three Injured In Remote Helicopter Crash

Wed., Jan. 20, 1999

Laura Shireman Staff writer

Three people were injured when a helicopter crashed Tuesday in a roadless area near Tensed, officials said.

All were taken to Gritman Medical Center in Moscow. One was treated and released and the other two were airlifted to a Spokane hospital. Their conditions and identities were not available late Tuesday night.

“There are no life-threatening injuries,” said Cynthia Emery of the Federal Aviation Administration in Auburn, Wash.

One passenger regained consciousness after the crash and walked four to five miles through remote timberland to summon help, Emery said.

Rescue workers used four-wheel drive vehicles to get to the remote crash scene.

The helicopter was rented by the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Wildlife Department for wildlife surveys, Emery said. It spent part of the day in the field, but failed to return when expected. Authorities launched a search and found the helicopter around 6:30 p.m.

At least one person on board was a tribal member, said Bob Bostwick, press secretary for the tribe.

Investigators will be at the crash site today. It is not known what caused the accident.

The crash is the second helicopter crash in two months in the Inland Northwest. In November, pilot Gary Beck died after crashing near his home in southern Spokane County.

Beck, 54, was on his way to help Colville tribal biologists count kokanee salmon near Keller, Wash.

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