Second victim of helicopter crash identified

A 16-year-old Spokane youth was identified Thursday as one of two people killed last week in a helicopter crash south of Asotin.

Hudson Simmons of Spokane and Hayden Simmons, 17, of Lewiston, died on impact as a result of the July 1 helicopter crash at Ayers Gulch, according to the Asotin County Coroner's Office. The names were not released earlier because the Spokane County Medical Examiner's Office required the use of dental records to identify the victims, Asotin County Coroner Ben Nichols said.

The cousins were flying in a Hughes 269C two-seater helicopter that crashed around 9:50 a.m. at Ayers Gulch, approximately seven miles south of Asotin, according to the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the incident. A preliminary safety board report on the incident, including what may have caused the aircraft to crash, has not yet been released.

The helicopter left the Lewiston-Nez Perce County Regional Airport at 9:30 a.m., safety board crash investigator Zoe Keliher said. The small craft crashed approximately 10 minutes later.

Wreckage from the crash was discovered later in the day by firefighters battling a 400-acre wildfire in Ayers Gulch. It is not known if the crash sparked the fire, but the helicopter accident was not related to firefighting efforts, officials said.

Hayden Simmons spent his entire life around aviation, according to a 2013 article in the Lewiston Tribune. He first took the controls of an aircraft as a 9-year-old boy and his first solo flight as a helicopter pilot was on his 16th birthday.

Funeral services for Hayden Simmons are scheduled for 11 a.m. today at the Lewiston Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Stake Center at 836 Preston Ave. in Lewiston.

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Bartholdt can be contacted at rbartholdt@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2275.