Downed chopper lifted off mountain

A helicopter that crash-landed April 25 on the slopes of Mount Aeneas is off the mountain but not necessarily out of the woods.

The Two Bear Management aircraft is awaiting examination and checks by insurance adjusters who will determine the condition of the helicopter.

Jordan White, a spokesman for Two Bear Management, said the chopper’s fuselage is fine but the big concern is the expensive-to-repair drivetrain.

“The requirements for what has to be replaced for a sudden stoppage are being determined by the insurance adjusters, and the repair companies are bidding it,” White said. “If the cost of repairing it exceeds its value — it’s a 15-year-old helicopter — then it needs to be replaced and not repaired.”

Jason Johnson, Two Bear chief pilot and director of operations, was piloting the helicopter on April 25 when he lost directional control due to unexplained tail rotor issues and set it down on the side of the mountain, where it rolled onto its side.

The helicopter was carrying a pair of Flathead County employees for radio-antenna work on Mount Aeneas in the Jewel Basin Hiking Area east of the Flathead Valley.

No one was hurt in the incident.

The Two Bear helicopter eventually was lifted off the mountain last week by another helicopter — a type usually used for logging operations — that was flown in from Bozeman.

Federal inspections of the downed helicopter have been completed and Two Bear Management is awaiting reports from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration.

“We’re anxious to see what the FAA publishes,” White said. “They gave us some initial ideas but they didn’t want to commit to that until they review everything they need to review.”

Two Bear Management is owned by Whitefish philanthropist and venture capitalist Mike Goguen.

Reporter Jesse Davis may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at jdavis@dailyinterlake.com.