A CH-47 Helicopter, one of two recently sold to Rotak Helicopter Services out of Anchorage, Alaska has been reported to have crashed Thursday afternoon at approximately 3:30 pm on the banks of the Salmon River in Idaho.
The helicopter was part of the team fighting the Moose Fire, 12 miles Northwest of Salmon, Idaho and was according to East Idaho News carrying a crew of two.
“It is with heavy hearts that we confirm … a CH-47D Series “Chinook” Helicopter operated by ROTAK Helicopter Services with two pilots on board was involved in an accident in the area near Salmon,” said a statement published by East Idaho News. “Emergency medical teams are responding to the scene.”
A spokeswoman with the U.S. Forest Service told EastIdahoNews.com that an incident management team is handling the situation but further details were not released, including the conditions of the pilots.
“ROTAK Helicopter Services is working closely with all appropriate agencies and will issue a full statement as information is confirmed. Company leadership asks for prayers and privacy on behalf of the involved families at this time,” the statement says.
Rotak took delivery of two CH-47 helicopters from Columbia Helicopters on July 5th, 2022, deploying one of the helicopters to Alaska on a call when needed contract less than a week after delivery, while the other aircraft remained in the lower 48.
AerialFire has reached out to Rotak Helicopter Services for further information and will update this story as new information is received.
