Ft Apache Helicopter Crash 2003

On July 26, 2003, at approximately 10:30 a.m., while responding to a smoke report in the Aspen Ridge area of the White Mountain Apache Reservation, a helicopter carrying a pilot and three helitack crewmembers went down. Killed in the crash were: pilot Jess Pearce, 50, of Peoria, Arizona and helitack crew member, Randall Bonito, Jr., 31, of Whiteriver, Arizona. Injured in the crash were Kristy Johnson, 30, of Cibecue, Arizona and Floyd Walker, 37, of the Seven-Mile community of Whiteriver. All three passengers are members of the White Mountain Apache Tribe. Both Walker and Johnson were transported to a trauma center in Phoenix.

Helicopter Incident or Accident