Engine fire of tanker perplexing

Huntsville residents mourn pilot as crash probe begins

By SCOTT SCHWEBKE 
Standard-Examiner staff sschwebke@standard.net  Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008

Huntsville pilot Gene Wahlstrom, who died in Monday’s air tanker crash in Reno, Nev., is shown here with his wife, Joyce. Courtesy photo

 HUNTSVILLE — A Huntsville pilot killed in a fiery air tanker crash in Nevada this week was fondly remembered Wednesday by family, friends and co-workers for his kindness and dedication to his profession.

    Gene Wahlstrom, 61, who along with two crew members died when their Lockheed P2V-7 crashed shortly after takeoff Monday [Sept. 1st, 2008] evening from Reno-Stead Airport, was easy going and compassionate, said his cousin, Danna Gregory, of Huntsville.

    “I loved him,” Gregory said, fighting back tears while sitting under a tree at the home of a friend. “He had not one ounce of bigotry in him. He accepted everybody.”

    Meanwhile as his friends, family and colleagues were celebrating Wahlstrom’s life, federal investigators in Nevada on Wednesday were still trying to unravel the cause of the crash that killed him and Neptune Aviation Services crew members Gregory Gonsioroski, 41, Baker, Mont.; and Zachary Jake Vander-Griend, 25, Missoula, Mont.

    Federal investigators said they’re perplexed by the jet engine fire that preceded the fatal crash because there’s been no known similar incident before in that type of aircraft.

    A native of Ogden, Wahlstrom was at the point in his life where he could have enjoyed retirement with his wife, Joyce. However, he kept working because he enjoyed flying for Neptune Aviation Services of Missoula, Mont., Gregory said.

    “He died doing what he loved,” she said. “How many people can say that?”

1963 sophomore BLHS

A 1964 [1965] graduate of Ben Lomond High School, Wahlstrom was content to follow his wife to jobs in California and Virginia during her career with the U.S. Forest Service, Gregory said.     The Wahlstroms, who have no children, lived in Huntsville for less than a decade, Gregory said. They each owned a motorcycle and at least once attended the world famous annual Sturgis, S.D., biker rally.     Wahlstrom enjoyed regaling family members with tales gleaned from the cockpit of his plane, including the time he flew federal government officials over the ravaged Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Gregory said.     “He came to family parties and was always the center of attention,” she recalled. “He always had a good story.”     But when it came to pilot safety, Wahlstrom was extremely serious and gave each plane he flew a thorough inspection before takeoff, Gregory said. “He said that he was always careful and during a walkaround (of the plane) would check it twice,” she said.

    Wahlstrom was a fixture in his upscale Huntsville neighborhood, where he organized bonfires to burn discarded Christmas Trees and would treat friends to baked salmon that he caught in Alaska, said Pauline Maxwell, who lives a block from his home.

    “He worked so much (as a pilot) that he wasn’t here much,” she said. “But when he was in town, you knew it. He was such a friendly guy.”

    The Wahlstroms were also devout fans of the New Orleans Saints and set aside a room in their spacious home to display the football team’s memorabilia, said Maxwell. The couple often flew to the Big Easy to attend games.

    Maxwell described Wahlstrom as courageous for putting himself in harm’s way in battling wildfires from the air. “I don’t think Gene realized what a hero he was,” she said.

    Wahlstrom’s life and untimely death was also a major topic of conversation Wednesday at Chris’ Cafe in Huntsville. Chris Petersen, who owns the restaurant, said Wahlstrom was a frequent customer and would often stop by to chat.

    “He was just a caring person,” Petersen said. “He was friendly to everyone. I’ve never seen him unhappy.”

    Wahlstrom was also praised by Neptune Aviation officials.

    “Gene was an excellent leader and mentor for many people at Neptune,” the company said in a prepared statement issued Wednesday night.

    “One of Gene’s greatest qualities was his loyalty to his friends, family and Neptune Aviation.

    “He was a great communicator and was an excellent chief pilot, respected by all who knew him. Gene is greatly loved and will be remembered as a kind, genuine, accomplished and dedicated member of our Neptune family.”

    Wahlstrom joined Neptune Aviation in 1999 and was a chief pilot at the time of his death.

    He had more than 35 years of flying experience first as a crop duster then as an airtanker pilot with Black Hills Aviation based in Alamogordo, N.M., and then with the U.S. Forest Service prior to joining Neptune Aviation.

    Investigators say the Lockheed P2V-7 that crashed had been inspected not long ago and was only about 36 hours through a normal 100-hour inspection schedule.

    “What precipitated the fire, we don’t know,” said Tom Little, lead investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board.

    “I asked the operator if they had ever experienced anything like this and they haven’t,” he said.

    The plane, owned by Neptune Aviation Services and built in 1962, was one of 12 the company had on contract with the Forest Service to fight fires.

    Lockheed started building the planes for the U.S. military in the mid-1940s — “the predecessor of the P-3, the submarine chasers,” Little said. “This was one of the later models.”

    Typically powered by propellers, the plane that crashed had been retrofitted with two additional jet engines for added thrust during takeoff, Little said.

    It was one of the jet engines that at least two witnesses saw on fire shortly after takeoff. The flames engulfed the left wing before the plane went into a roll and crashed.

    Investigators had recovered several large pieces of metal beginning about a quarter mile north of the runway that appear to have come from the burning engine, Little said.

    They found nothing on the runway or surrounding area that would explain why the engine caught fire, said Little. He also said he talked with officials for Neptune who helped survey the crash site on Tuesday, including one veteran pilot.

    Monday’s crash marked at least the third time a P2V owned by Neptune suffered a fatal crash while fighting wildfires on government contract over the past 15 years. Two men were killed when one crashed near Missoula in 1994 and two other men died in a crash near Reserve, N.M., in 1998.

    Neptune Aviation Chief Executive Officer Mark Timmons said those previous crashes were found to be caused by pilot error.

    The U.S. Forest Service grounded 33 air tankers in May 2004 after an NTSB report said it was not known whether several types of air tankers were safe. The report was prompted by the crash of three C-130 air tankers.

    A total of 27 crew members have been killed in crashes involving firefighting air tankers since 1991.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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