DAYVILLE – Grant County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to the scene of a fatal helicopter crash in the Rudio Mountain area approximately 23 miles north of Dayville on March 17 at about 10:15 a.m.

Deputies found the body of Kenneth Deane Graves, 39, of Post Falls, Idaho, in the wreckage.

Deane was reportedly flying the 2002 Kaman helicopter registered to Grizzly Mountain Aviation Inc. from Prineville while conducting logging operations on privately owned property belonging to D.R. Johnson.

Eyewitnesses told Palmer and Undersheriff Jim McNellis that Graves had dropped a load of logs at the log landing when he reportedly radioed ground crews he needed to return to the service area.

While en route, witnesses said they heard a “loud whining noise” from the helicopter’s engine. This drew the attention of crews at the log landing as well as crews near the service area about a mile away.

The helicopter then reportedly went into what was described as a “nose dive position” and crashed on a sparsely timbered ridge about halfway between the log landing and the service area.

Palmer reported investigation revealed that this is the second helicopter crash of aircraft belonging to Grizzly Mountain Aviation in the past week.

The incident is under investigation locally and the Federal Aeronautics Administration from Portland will also look into the incident.