BURNS, Ore. — Flags are being flown at half-staff in Oregon to honor James Bailey Maxwell, the pilot who died in a crash while working in the vicinity of the Falls Fire.
On Tuesday, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek ordered flags to be flown at half-staff from Tuesday morning through Thursday, Aug. 1 in Maxwell's memory.
The 74-year-old Maxwell was piloting a single-engine air tanker (SEAT) near Seneca, Oregon, in the Malheur National Forest. The SEAT went missing the evening of July 25; Grant County Search and Rescue found the plane and the pilot's body in the woods, in a steep area, near the Falls Fire. the next day.
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.
Maxwell is survived by family members in Idaho, Oregon and Washington.
"I am deeply saddened by the tragic death of Mr. Maxwell while he fought the Falls Fire. On behalf of Oregon, I want to extend my condolences to Mr. Maxwell’s family, loved ones, and fellow firefighters," Kotek said in a statement. "I would also like to thank the search and rescue team for their quick recovery efforts to bring Mr. Maxwell home."
