Tuolumne Unit Helicopter Accident Fatalities 1973

Helicopter pilot Dick Rodgers and California Department of Forestry (CDF, now CAL FIRE) firefighter Lynn R. Douglas were killed and two others were injured when a helicopter contracted to the state fire agency crashed near San Andreas, California. According to news media, the mission of the helicopter was to patrol powerlines, and upon completion of this task, the aircraft was returning to Columbia airport. On board, a CDF fire prevention officer spotted a brush fire, one of several fires ignited in the region on that day. He requested to be dropped off at the site of the fire. In either attempting to land or in taking off again, the helicopter struck electrical wires and crashed. The CDF prevention officer and another CDF employee were injured in the accident. The helicopter was a Bell 206B JetRanger, registered N165FD.