Pilot critically injured in helicopter crash in Garfield County has 17 years’ flying experience

The helicopter crash in rural Garfield County that left one dead and two injured happened on the crew’s first day contracting with the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Madonna Luers, department spokesperson, said the three-person crew had spent Saturday morning trapping and tagging deer on the Palouse as part of a multiyear project aimed at tracking deer population in southeastern Washington. Luers said the crew had finished putting collars on five deer before their helicopter crashed in northern Garfield County, about 25 miles north of Pomeroy.

“People who were involved with it in our department, they’re pretty shocked and saddened,” she said.

Benjamin Poirier, 19, of Berthoud, Colorado, was killed in the crash, his family confirmed. Pilot Blake Malo was airlifted to St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston, where he was listed in critical condition Monday afternoon. Passenger Garrett Bradshaw was in fair condition, but hospital staff said he might be upgraded and permitted to leave by the end of the day.

All three are employees of Hells Canyon Helicopter, a Clarkston-based company that captures and surveys wildlife. According to the company website, Malo has more than 17 years and thousands of flying hours of experience with a “100-percent safety record.”

A spokeswoman from the company declined an interview request Monday morning.

A cause of the crash has not been determined. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board were surveying the crash site Monday morning, officials said, though it could take weeks or months before a cause is determined.

Peter Knudson, an NTSB spokesman, said crews were waiting Monday for equipment to arrive to begin recovery of the aircraft. He said there was no radar information available, though a GPS unit was discovered that will soon be reviewed for relevant information.