POMEROY, Wash. (AP) - Authorities say the man killed in Saturday's helicopter crash in southeast Washington was a 19-year-old from Colorado.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a release Monday that Benjamin M. Poirier, 19, of Berthoud, Colorado, died in the crash.
The pilot, 33-year-old Blake Malo, of Clarkston, and another crew member, 30-year-old Garrett Bradshaw, of Eagle Point, Oregon, were injured. They were taken to St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston.
The three men were employed by a private helicopter operator, Hells Canyon Helicopters. They were flying under contract with the state fish and wildlife department to help with mule deer surveying.
WDFW Director Jim Unsworth said in a statement Monday that the tragic accident would be felt by the families but members of the state agency.
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the crash northwest of Pomeroy in Garfield County.