Helicopter crash kills pilot, 24

A Walla Walla pilot was killed Friday when his helicopter crashed during an aerial logging operation in northern Pend Oreille County.

Sheriff’s deputies identified the pilot as 24-year-old Bret W. Ahler.

He was flying a Kaman K-600 helicopter owned by Horizon Helicopters of LeClede, Idaho, at a logging site on national forest land near Sullivan Lake, about 15 miles northeast of Ione, Wash.

Witnesses said Ahler was flying about 150 feet above the ground about 4 p.m. with a load of logs suspended from a cable when they heard a loud “pop” from the aircraft, according to sheriff’s Sgt. Alan Botzheim.

The witnesses said the helicopter immediately seemed to be in trouble, and it appeared Ahler was trying to release his load. The helicopter instantly plunged to the ground, witnesses told authorities.

Botzheim said Ahler was alone in the aircraft, and no one else was injured.

The accident will be investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, Botzheim said.