By admin 
The heavy-lift helicopter that crashed Sunday in western Colorado while battling a fire near Ouray, killing the pilot and sole occupant, had been doing water drops from Silver Jack Reservoir for less than an hour when it went down in the lake, according to a flight-tracking website.
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The pilot, who has not been publicly identified, was flying in a K-MAX helicopter, which is frequently used in firefighting, logging and construction.
The specialized single-pilot helicopter is designed for making repetitive heavy lifts. At 5,000 feet above sea level, it can transport up to about 5,600 pounds, according to the manufacturer’s website.
The aircraft arrived in Colorado on July 6, according to FlightAware.com, and had been battling the Gold Mountain fire near Ouray for several days.
The pilot is the fourth person killed while battling wildfires in Colorado this year as drought, extreme heat and dry vegetation fuel dangerous fire conditions across the state. Three federal firefighters were killed June 27 while battling the Snyder fire, which started in Utah and moved into Colorado.
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The K-MAX helicopter that crashed in Silver Jack Reservoir, which sits at 8,925 feet elevation in southwestern Gunnison County, went down about 5 p.m. Sunday, according to FlightAware. Gunnison County Sheriff Adam Murdie said his office received a call about the crash at 5:17 p.m.
The Montrose County Sheriff’s Office dive team later recovered the body.
The helicopter was registered to Helicopter Express LLC in Georgia and was built in 2019, according to FlightAware and federal aircraft registration records. An employee declined to comment when reached by phone Monday morning.
Kaman Aircraft discontinued the production of the K-MAX heavy lift helicopters in January 2023 due to low demand, trade publication Aviation International news reported. The company said the move was part of its strategy to eliminate “non-value-added activities” and improve financial performance.
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The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.