A contract helicopter owned by El Aero Services of Elko, Nevada, crashed while rounding up feral horses in the park late on the morning of Thursday, October 18th. The helicopter had herded several groups of horses to the park’s wildlife handling facility and was attempting to get them into a pen when the accident occurred. The pilot, Ted McBride, and the passenger, wildlife biologist Mark Oehler, suffered minor injuries and were taken by separate ambulances to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Dickinson, North Dakota, as a precaution. Both men were treated and released that afternoon. McBride has been flying since 1955 and is extremely experienced in working with wildlife. He flew for the park during the 2004 and 2005 bison roundups and had completed work on a bison roundup in Wind Cave National Park earlier in the week. Oehler is the park’s wildlife biologist and is a certified helicopter crewmember. Most of the park staff members were working the horse roundup and many witnessed the crash. Six emergency medical technicians were on scene and responded within moments of the accident. Several members of the local news media and the Associated Press were covering the horse roundup and were photographing and filming during the incident. Media attention was high and information was on the radio and internet within minutes of the crash. The cause of the accident is under investigation.
