A Maine game warden was tragically killed on Tuesday after his plane crashed in Avon.
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At approximately 11:00 a.m., Game Warden Pilot Tibbetts’ plane went down near Schoolhouse Pond in what was ultimately a fatal crash.
“This is an incredibly difficult loss for his family, friends, colleagues, and the entire Maine Warden Service. We ask the public to keep his loved ones, his fellow Game Wardens, and all those affected by this tragedy in their thoughts in the days ahead,” said the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IFW)
Tibbetts served as a game warden for 18 years and spent the past three as a pilot.
As a pilot, he helped with search and rescue and law enforcement operations, wildlife conservation missions, and public safety.
The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash remains ongoing.
The Bangor Daily News reported that Tibbetts was helping to stock fish in a pond and took a low-altitude turn shortly before the crash.
They reported that the plane did not crash in the area of any roads, and other planes and helicopters were needed to respond to the crash site.
“Helping to stock fish”. “took a low pass”. Hmmmm….
If he was doing something dangerous, it needs to be admitted to and stopped so no one else gets hurt. I wonder if the fish and the water they were in were aboard the airplane and he tried to dump them into the pond while also trying to fly the plane.
The other thing that came out of the Virginia state police helicopter crash a few years back is that the FAA does not have jurisdiction over state owned law-enforcement aircraft. The Virginia SP helicopter had already crashed before, for the same reason, the FAA all but said that it ought not have been in the air.
The FAA can be obnoxious at times, often is, most of the time there is some resemblance to safety in their regulations, and I wonder if that aircraft and that pilot would’ve been in the air had they been with a private company instead.
So sad. His service to the state is commendable and appreciated. Much love and sympathy to his family.