SKYKOMISH, Wash. — A tourism helicopter that crashed into a remote lake in North Cascades National Park and sunk was removed on Wednesday.
A helicopter from Arlington-based WorldWind Helicopters, Inc. crashed into Copper Lake on Sept. 8. No one was hurt, but there were health concerns because the lake is a tributary to Everett’s Water Utilities’ Sultan River watershed, which supplies drinking water to Snohomish County, according to The Herald.
However, the city of Everett said there was no impact on water quality.
On Nov. 8, a dive and salvage company and a helicopter operator, both privately contracted, used two helicopters and a dive team to pull the chopper from the lake.
Washington Department of Ecology and Department of Natural Resources staff monitored the recovery operation.
According to Everett Public Works, the helicopter was intact when it was pulled out of the watershed. It was then taken to the Public Utility District’s helipad and loaded onto a trailer.
Staff from the City of Everett and the PUD inspected the chopper at the helipad to look for possible fuel or fluid leaks.
“Public health was always the top priority in dealing with this incident and resulted in preserving and protecting Everett’s drinking water quality,” Everett Public Works said in a news release.
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