James Bailey Maxwell dies in fatal Grant County plane crash
Fatal Grant County plane crash death of James Bailey Maxwell – Obituary
James Bailey Maxwell, 74, was identified as the pilot who perished in the single-engine air tanker (SEAT) crash in Grant County on Thursday. His body was discovered at the crash site on Friday.
According to the Bureau of Land Management, Maxwell had completed a retardant drop on the Parasol Fire in Grant County, north of the Falls Fire, and was en route back to Burns for reloading when contact was lost shortly before 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.
A search and rescue team from Grant County located the downed aircraft on Friday morning in a rugged, forested area.
In a Facebook post, the Malheur National Forest described Maxwell as a veteran pilot with 54 years of flying experience and around 24,000 flight hours. He leaves behind family in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington who will deeply miss him.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) identified the aircraft as an Air Tractor 802A.
The Forest Service noted that a SEAT is the smallest air tanker used in firefighting operations. These nimble planes can carry up to 800 gallons of fire retardant or water to support ground crews battling wildfires.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will conduct an investigation to determine the cause of the crash.
Fatal Grant County plane crash death of James Bailey Maxwell – Obituary James Bailey Maxwell, 74, was identified as the pilot who perished in the single-engine air tanker (SEAT) crash in Grant County on Thursday. His body was discovered at the crash site on Friday. According to the Bureau of Land Management, Maxwell had completed…
Fatal Grant County plane crash death of James Bailey Maxwell – Obituary James Bailey Maxwell, 74, was identified as the pilot who perished in the single-engine air tanker (SEAT) crash in Grant County on Thursday. His body was discovered at the crash site on Friday. According to the Bureau of Land Management, Maxwell had completed…