Associated Press
PORTLAND, Ore. — A team of safety inspectors from the U.S. Air Force is scheduled to arrive in Portland on Monday to open an inquiry into last week’s crash of a rescue helicopter at Mount Hood.
The investigators, made up of active duty and reserve personnel from around the country who specialize in the Pave Hawk HH-60G helicopter, will take over the investigation from the Air Force’s 939th Rescue Wing.
The chopper crashed Thursday as its six-man crew was trying to rescue survivors from a climbing accident that killed three people. Six other climbers were injured when they tumbled into a crevasse about 800 feet below the summit.
Two of the three climbers who remained hospitalized were released Sunday.
For the third straight day, climbers on Mount Hood were turned away from elevations above 9,000 feet. Jon Tullis, a spokesman for Timberline Lodge, said climbers were cooperating with national Forest Service officials keeping watch for those who might attempt to climb.
The helicopter remained upside-down on the mountain, at the base of Crater Rock, where it came to a rest after tumbling about a half-dozen times following the crash. The inspection team is planning to start work at the site Tuesday, said Col. Scott Nielson, vice commander of the 939th.
Nielson said he couldn’t predict how long it would take to determine the cause of the accident.
"One of the primary goals of the investigation board will be to get every single piece of the helicopter accounted for," Nielson said.
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