Man dies in helicopter crash near King Salmon

Naknek River, King Salmon. (KDLG)

A man from Louisiana was killed successful a chopper clang adjacent King Salmon complete nan weekend.

Authorities opportunity nan Bell 206B helicopter, operated by Egli Air Haul, departed from King Salmon astatine 9:18 americium Saturday pinch nan aviator and 4 passengers aboard.

The aviator was bringing nan passengers to a sportfishing tract erstwhile they collapsed into Naknek River astir a quarter-mile southbound of nan King Salmon Airport.

According to Alaska State Troopers, EMS and Good Samaritans successful nan area were capable to propulsion nan aviator and 3 passengers retired of nan h2o earlier troopers arrived.

One passenger, 73-year-old Martin de Laureal, died successful nan crash. Clint Johnson, Alaska main of nan National Transportation Safety Board, said nan 4 group rescued were okay, but de Laureal became trapped wrong nan chopper erstwhile it went down.

“The folks sustained insignificant injuries but unluckily 1 was trapped successful nan wreckage and remained underwater and that was nan 1 that sustained fatal injuries,” Johnson said.

According to nola.com, de Laureal was a retired businessman and civic leader successful New Orleans who was successful Alaska connected a sportfishing travel pinch friends.

Johnson said what caused nan clang remains nether investigation.

“We look astatine 3 main areas: man, machine, environment,” he said. “Man being nan quality portion, nan quality performance. Machine being nan mechanical, and situation being, successful this case, weather. All of those things are connected nan table.”

Johnson said a betterment squad will region nan chopper from nan stream truthful investigators tin analyse it.

A meteorologist has besides been assigned to activity alongside investigators to find if upwind conditions played a domiciled successful nan crash.