Officials say the pilot was flying a single-engine air tanker near the Falls Fire when it went down

Описание: Officials have identified the pilot who was flying the single-engine air tanker that crashed on Thursday, July 25, in eastern Oregon.

74-year-old James Bailey Maxwell was flying a Bureau of Land Management contracted aircraft when it went down near the Falls Fire.

“James was an experienced pilot who had spent 54 years of his life flying and who had logged approximately 24,000 hours of flight time,” The U.S. Forest Service – Malheur National Forest said in a post on Facebook. “He is survived by and will be missed by family members in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.”

The single-engine air tankers are the smallest tankers in the fleet and can deliver up to 800 gallons of water or fire retardant.

“The Maxwell Family and firefighters are grateful for the support being expressed throughout the community and online,” the post stated.

Services have not been announced at this time.

On Saturday, a procession took place in the Malheur National Forest to honor Maxwell, both firefighters and law enforcement participated.

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