Overview
- The Kaman K-1200 K-MAX piloted by 56-year-old Nicholas Dale crashed into Silver Jack Reservoir while responding to the Gold Mountain Fire on July 12, and Dale was killed.
- Federal investigators including the FAA are continuing the probe, and preliminary FAA information shows the helicopter flipped upside down before impact.
- Dale's body was escorted from Montrose to Denver International Airport in a multi-jurisdictional procession on July 20–21 as residents, firefighters and law enforcement lined Interstate 70 to pay tribute.
- Dale worked for Helicopter Express, lived in Sooke, British Columbia, was born in Australia, and is remembered by family and colleagues as a meticulous, humble pilot and devoted husband and father.
- Colleagues have launched fundraising for his wife and children and Colorado officials have offered support for the investigation and will order flags to half-staff on a memorial date to be set, which could prompt review of safety practices at reservoir dip sites used in aerial firefighting.