A helicopter crash on the Bad River Reservation claimed the life of the pilot, the only person onboard, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
NTSB spokesman Keith Holloway said an Airbus AS350 was discovered around 2 a.m. Tuesday.
The pilot has been identified by authorities as Dean M. Bass, 64, of Sarnia, Ontario. He was flying an Enbridge helicopter that was headed west from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office stated in a news release Tuesday afternoon.
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The sheriff’s office received a report around 8:15 p.m. Monday that the man never arrived at the Duluth International Airport. Multiple agencies conducted a search into the early morning hours Tuesday, including the sheriff’s office, U.S. Coast Guard and Wisconsin Emergency Management.
The Civil Air Patrol spotted the helicopter on a remote area of the reservation around 1:37 a.m. Tuesday.
Several teams responded and located the site about four hours later, including members of the sheriff’s office, Bad River Fire Department, Ashland Fire Department and an Enbridge search team.
Enbridge spokeswoman Jennifer Smith confirmed the pilot was an Enbridge employee.
“This flight was a part of our routine pipeline monitoring and inspection program. The cause of the accident is not yet known. The Federal Aviation Administration, Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa and the local county sheriff were all notified last night and an investigation into the cause of the accident has been initiated. We truly appreciate the swift response by the Ashland County Sheriff’s Department, Bad River Band, and others,” said Smith in a prepared statement. “Our prayers and thoughts go out to the family of our helicopter pilot and to his many friends and co-workers.”
The cause of the crash is not yet known, and the NTSB is headed to the scene to investigate, examine the aircraft and document the scene.
Holloway said the investigation will look at radar data and communications with the pilot. The agency’s investigation may take 12 to 18 months. The incident is also being investigated by the Ashland County Coroner’s Office and the Federal Aviation Administration.
Editor’s note: This story was last updated at 3:54 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018, with the pilot’s identity.
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