SENECA, Ore — The pilot of an air tanker who died when his plane crashed fighting a fire Thursday evening in eastern Oregon has been identified.
The Grant County Sheriff's Office confirmed Sunday that single-engine air tanker pilot James Bailey Maxwell, 74, was the pilot who died in the crash while working in the vicinity of the Falls Fire, north of Burns, on July 25, 2024.
In a statement posted online, the U.S. Forest Service, Malheur National Forest, said Maxwell had spent 54 years of his life flying and logged approximately 24,000 hours of flight time. He is survived by family members in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.
"The Maxwell family and firefighters are grateful for the support being expressed throughout the community and online," the statement said.
The Bureau of Land Management-contracted air tanker was "assisting on a lightning start in the vicinity of the Falls Fire" Thursday evening, according to a post Friday morning on the official Facebook page for the Falls and Telephone fires.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane crashed near Seneca, about 25 miles south of John Day, around 11:30 p.m. Thursday. Grant County Search and Rescue found the plane and the pilot's body in the woods, in a steep area, near the Falls Fire.
Oregon Govenor Tina Kotek released a statement, saying she was mourning the pilot's life.
"On behalf of Oregon, I want to extend my deepest condolences to the firefighter’s family, loved ones, and fellow firefighters,” Kotek said. “Firefighters in the field look out for one another. When harm falls on one, it is felt by all. I want to thank all those who were a part of the search efforts for the recovered SEAT, and everyone fighting fires right now. I have your back, and I will continue to deploy every available resource to aid you.”
Kotek ordered flags at Oregon state public buildings to be flown at half-mast from July 31 through Aug. 1 in Maxwell's memory.
