Crash at the White River Fire
United States Fire Administration
The U.S. Fire Administration has announced the official on-duty death of Pilot Thomas Duffy, 40, of Central Copters, Inc. on August 24, 2020.
On Monday, August 24, 2020, Pilot Thomas Duffy, flying a Type 1 Kmax helicopter, was conducting bucket drops while battling the White River Fire in Mount Hood National Forest, when his helicopter crashed. He worked for Central Copters, Inc., a private family run company out of Belgrade, Montana, as a wildland-contract pilot for the U.S. Forest Service. The official cause of the crash is under investigation.
Tribute is being paid to Pilot Duffy at http://apps.usfa.fema.gov/firefighter-fatalities/
To date, 58 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2020. Year-to-date and annual USFA firefighter fatality reports are posted online at https://www.usfa.fema.gov/data/statistics/ff_fatality_reports.html
Fatality status is provisional and may change as USFA contacts State Fire Marshals to verify fatality incident information.
