Employees of Oregon helicopter firm indicted in wake of fatal crash
»Play Video
|
Scott Charlson, 25, from Phoenix, Ore.
|
MEDFORD, Ore. - Two Oregon employees of a helicopter company accused by federal investigators of causing an accident that killed 9 people in 2008 by falsifying aircraft records could face prison if found guilty of federal criminal charges brought against them last week by a grand jury indictment.
The firefighting helicopter crash in northern California killed 7 people from Oregon (pictured below at right), including Scott Charlson of Eugene.
The National Transportation Safety Board in 2010 said the actions of the helicopter company contributed to the crash by misleading the pilot about the actual capabilities of the helicopter. A civil jury trial in 2012 ended with a verdict against GE, the maker of the helicopter's engine.
A federal grand jury last week indicted Steven Metheny, 42, of Central Point, Oregon, and Levi Phillips, 45, of Grants Pass, Oregon, on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States Forest Service involving contracts awarded to Carson Helicopters, Inc., in 2008 for helicopter services in firefighting operations.
Metheny was also charged in 22 other counts with mail and wire fraud, making false statements to the Forest Service, endangering the safety of aircraft in flight and theft from an interstate shipment.
If convicted, Metheny and Phillips face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the conspiracy to defraud count.
Metheny also faces a maximum sentence of 20 years for each mail and wire fraud count, 20 years for each endangering the safety of aircraft in flight count, 10 years for the interstate theft count, and up to five years for each false statement count.
"Fly darlin', fly darlin', fly darlin', fly darlin"
As dusk approached August 5, 2008, one of the Sikorsky helicopters Carson leased to the Forest Service touched down near the front lines of the Iron Complex forest fire burning in northern California's Trinity Alps.
Fire bosses had decided to pull crews off the front lines for safety's sake.
Ten firefighters from Oregon trundled on board the Sikorsky to get a lift back to camp with the pilot, co-pilot and a Forest Service employee.
The Sikorsky S-61N had been airborne less than a minute when the chopper's main rotor lost power during takeoff.
The co-pilot of a helicopter ferrying firefighters implored "Fly darlin', fly darlin', fly darlin', fly darlin ..."' as the chopper lost power and fell out of the air in a rugged area of Northern California last year, according to a cockpit voice recording transcript released Wednesday.
It hit trees and crashed into a remote mountainside in Shasta-Trinity National Forest.
Besides pilot Roark Schwanenberg, 54, of Lostine, Ore., the dead included Jim Ramage, 63, a U.S. Forest Service inspector pilot from Redding, Calif.; and firefighters Shawn Blazer, 30, of Medford; Scott Charlson, 25, of Eugene, Ore.; Matthew Hammer, 23, of Grants Pass; Edrik Gomez, 19, of Ashland; Bryan Rich, 29, of Medford; David Steele, 19, of Ashland; and Steven "Caleb" Renno, 21, of Cave Junction.
In 2010, the National Transportation Safety Board said Carson Helicopters misled the Forest Service and FAA about the capabilities of the aircraft. As a result, the pilot took off carrying more weight than the helicopter could handle.
"This accident had more to do with Carson's actions than the oversight entities' inactions," NTSB chairman Deborah Hersman said. "But the FAA and the Forest Service didn't hold up their end of the deal to oversee Carson's actions."
Scott Charlson told his parents the spring before the crash that he was going to be a firefighter to pay his way through college.
Charlson graduated Lifegate Christian High School in Eugene back in 2001.
"This was going to be his last year in school at Southern Oregon University studying to be a Sports Journalism major and was his first year working as a fireman," Scott's younger brother Jake wrote in 2008.
"He loved to play hockey and was a huge fan of the 49ers football team and hoped one day to be a sports-caster for ESPN.
"He was full of life and he lived to the fullest without regret, never looking back, but always pushing forward. He was a major influence to all of his friends, there was never a dull moment to be had around Scott. He strived for better things in his life and pulled everyone along with him to better things whether they could see it at the time or not, but we all ended up seeing it in the end.
"The impact he has had on the community surrounding him is too great to spell out in words; to know it, you must have known him, and I am sorry for the people who can not have that opportunity. The memories we have of him are only good and he will live on in all of our hearts and minds forever.
"I hope that all makes sense and is somewhat useful. The love that my family and I have for my Brother is un-expressible, and to be able to tell everyone about this amazing man makes this situation at least somewhat liveable. Thank you for everything."
An Oregon jury ruled in March 2012 that a problem with an engine was responsible for the 2008 crash of a helicopter that killed nine firefighters during a wildfire in Northern California.
The jury in Portland reached its verdict after a pilot who survived and the widow of one who was killed sued General Electric for $177 million.
The plaintiffs argued the company knew the engines it made for the Sikorsky S-61N helicopter had a design flaw making them unsafe.
GE countered that the helicopter crashed because it was carrying too much weight when it took off after picking up a firefighting crew on the Iron 44 wildfire on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest near Weaverville, Calif.
This was a terrible accident that should have never happened but the two mechanics who are now charged are only two of the guilty. Mechanics don't normally alter records just because they feel like it, they do it because the powers to be put the pressure on them to "make the aircraft meet contract spec's". These two, if they did indeed alter critical weight and balance and engine performance records should get hammered but at the same time, their supervisors within the maintenance and operations division should be right there beside them.
In many ways the forest service (not the guy on the ground, but the headquarters and contracting divisions)shares blame for this accident because of their constant pursuit of the newest box to make the aircraft owners install in the machine ,then they demand more and more performance from it to meet their contract spec's. There comes a time when all the wiz kid boxes outweigh the aircraft's capability so it becommes a real temptation to fudge the books here or there to make spec's.
So does this vindicate GE?
oregonlive has the missing details
All this article did was to highlight the victims and the GE Engine verdict. I want to know what the two men who are accused of falsifying records actually did. Can't wait to see how this one will turn out. Maybe saying the chopper itself could carry a heavier load than was ever meant to be? Hmmmmm.....
WOW ! katu, this article is so botched together it leaves more questions than answers ? Crew members who survived ? Why charges against 2 "other" individuals and how does it pertain to the legaleez of the ge verdict ??
Â
Can you hear ricky...."some splain'n needed here"
 @sargerator The GE verdict was incorrect as later it was found that the performance records presented were incorrect/altered.  The engines were probably a non-issue.  But when a company says their helicopter can lift 10,000 lbs to get a contract, but actually they can only lift 7,500 lbs, then
you have a problem. Â I wonder if those who received money from the GE suit, will have to give it back as it wasn't GE's fault.
 @RandyH  @sargeratorÂ
You hit it right, perhaps putting down one thing as far as total aircraft weight is concerned, and with the total lift capability of one thing, and the actual total aircraft weight is something else. Which means they can not really lift what they say. A numbers game all around. But now the USFS is also being looked at, to make triple sure they are crossing "T"'s and dotting "I"'s.
Â
Â
Every conviction the state gets allows them to STEAL (BY LAW)  money from its citizens.
That's a great conviction ya got there. Ranks real high up there on the relevancy totem pole!
If they determined the helicopter company lied about the capabilities why then was GE found negligent as the engine manufacturer??????????????
 @Shawn Alley Because if a bad pilot flies a Cessna into a house because of bad weather, Cessna and the engine manufacturer will immediately sue each other, and the victims will sue both. That's why new airplanes using 1970s technology still cost $100,000.
 @Shawn Alley Because they have more money to take.
Bingo... you hit it right
Is it just me or is this story and the details not very clear the way it is written? How do we get from engine failure on take off to 22 other counts with mail and wire fraud, making false statements to the Forest Service, endangering the safety of aircraft in flight and theft from an interstate shipment.
Â
Maybe a cup of coffee will help I do have that after lunch sleepies...
A sad story. None of the potential jail/prison time will ever bring back the poor victims, or peace to their families. Could this have been prevented?
All too true. After the fact will not bring any of the deceased back. Part of it could be blamed in many different places. The USFS does have certain things they want, and the companies that work for them either do it, or do not work.
Now in all areas everyone is looking very closely at everything...mainly because this incident.
The lawyers went after everyone who might have been involved. From Sikorsky who designed and bulit the aircraft, to GE who designed the engines for the aircraft. I think Columbia was also partially involved as they do the engine and fuel control overhauls on the CT58-140 engines for the S61.
Anyone who might have touched anything was put under a microscope.
It is too bad it happened, falsifying paperwork is not good...it will come back to haunt you eventually.
Â