Sheriff’s Dept. Suspends Pilot After Copter Fire

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department has suspended and is considering firing a veteran pilot who was flying a $1.1-million helicopter when it was destroyed by fire last summer, according to the pilot and law enforcement sources.

Chris Spangenberg, a Vietnam War combat pilot who for 14 years has flown rescue missions for the Sheriff’s Department, said he was placed on paid leave Dec. 2 and was told the department intended to fire him.

Sheriff’s Department officials would neither confirm that they are considering firing Spangenberg nor would they comment on his assertion that the suspension was related to the loss of the department’s newest and best-equipped helicopter.

The helicopter fire occurred as the aircraft was helping to start a controlled burn of brush in a canyon east of Thousand Oaks. At the time, sheriff’s officials commended Spangenberg for making a heroic effort to save the helicopter.

Spangenberg, 49, declined to discuss details of the case, except to say he is fighting to keep his job. The pilot’s Santa Monica attorney is trying to negotiate a settlement with the department that would allow Spangenberg to stay with the department and possibly to continue flying.

“I want to fly the helicopter,” said Spangenberg, who lives in Camarillo. “I want to continue doing the work that I think I do so well.”

*

An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board into the accident’s cause has not been released. But Scott Erickson, the lead investigator, said a device that dropped small incendiary devices from the air was the source of the fire’s ignition.

Federal investigators found no evidence that the device malfunctioned, he said. Erickson declined to comment further on the cause of the fire.

The Bell 206 L-3 was destroyed June 30 during a controlled 500-acre brush fire in Cheeseboro Canyon east of Thousand Oaks. The helicopter had been helping to set the fire by dropping incendiary devices the size of golf balls throughout the morning.

About 10:30 a.m., the five-seat helicopter landed on a hill about half a mile from the burn area and the engine was in idle, Spangenberg told federal investigators. It was then that crew members noticed flames on the ground beside the helicopter.

Crew chief Jeff Lawrence, 42, ran clear of the flames while Spangenberg tried unsuccessfully to lift off as flames engulfed the helicopter.

Spangenberg suffered first-, second- and third-degree burns on his face, arm and leg as he ran from the flames. He has undergone one set of skin grafts and may undergo another.

The helicopter has been replaced by a model costing about half as much.

Sheriff’s officials would not comment on the findings of their administrative investigation into the accident. But Lt. Mark Ball, who supervises the personnel department, said Spangenberg’s job status does not hinge on the findings of the NTSB investigation.

In addition to Spangenberg’s suspension, Lawrence has been reassigned from the Sheriff’s Aviation Unit, a job that was considered a part-time duty, to the County Jail, according to an official with the unit.

*

Based at the Camarillo Airport, the unit assists in fighting brush fires, rescuing injured hikers and ferreting out marijuana crops in remote canyons.

Spangenberg began his flying career in 1964 when he joined the Army and attended flight school. He flew combat missions in Vietnam in 1965 and 1966 and was discharged in 1968.

He joined the Sheriff’s Aviation Unit in 1979 after attending the training academy and becoming a sworn deputy. In 1992, a national pilots association gave Spangenberg its highest award for rescues he made during severe floods in the county.