Former Stockton fire chief among 2 killed in aircraft accident while fighting Arizona wildfire
The accident happened around 12 p.m. on Saturday. There were two crew members in the aircraft and both died in the crash, officials said. Author: 12 News Updated: 8:37 PM PDT July 11, 2021
WIKIEUP, Ariz. A retired fire chief and a U.S. Forest fire pilot have died after their aircraft crashed while fighting the Cedar Basin Fire near Wikieup on Saturday.
Bureau of Land Management officials said in a statement that the accident happened around noon while the two-man crew was working to control the fire from above.
BLM confirmed on Sunday morning that one of the men who died was 62-year-old Jeff Piechura, a retired fire chief with the Northwest Fire Department in the Tucson area.
Piechura, 62, and Matthew Miller, 48, were on board the Beechcraft King Air C90 aircraft when it crashed on Saturday, according to a statement from the Bureau of Land Management.
Piechura was an air tactical group supervisor employed by the Coronado National Forest. An air tactical group supervisor coordinates incident airspace, manages incident air traffic, and is the link between ground personnel and incident aircraft,
Miller was identified in the statement as a fire pilot employed with Falcon Executive Aviation, Inc, which is contracted by the U.S. Forest Service. Their remains have been recovered from the crash cite, according to the statement.
Arizona Republic
Matthew Miller, 48, and Jeff Piechura, 62, were on board the Beechcraft King Air C90 aircraft when it crashed on Saturday, according to a statement from the Bureau of Land Management.
Miller was identified in the statement as a fire pilot employed with Falcon Executive Aviation, Inc, which is contracted by the U.S. Forest Service.
Piechura was an air tactical group supervisor employed by the Coronado National Forest. An air tactical group supervisor coordinates incident airspace, manages incident air traffic, and is the link between ground personnel and incident aircraft,
Their remains have been recovered from the crash site, according to the statement.
Air Tactical Group Supervisor Jeff Piechura
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is working with other local, state, and federal agencies to respond to a wildland firefighting aircraft accident that claimed the lives of both crew on board. The accident occurred at approximately noon on July 10 as part of initial attack efforts on the Cedar Basin Fire, located 14 miles east of Wikieup, in northwestern Arizona.
Pilot Matthew Miller, 48, and Air Tactical Group Supervisor Jeff Piechura, 62, were on board a Beechcraft King Air C-90 aircraft, conducting visual reconnaissance and aviation command and control over the fire, when the accident occurred. Miller was a fire pilot with Falcon Executive Aviation, Inc, contracted by the U.S. Forest Service. Piechura was an employee with the Coronado National Forest. Their remains have been recovered from the accident site.