More dfw + death in the kimberley

see BB at tumblr. See some guy. there's so much out there on the web about the sad news.

See below from today's The Age
In July M and I were on a helicopter operated by the same company, in the same location. They seemed very safety conscious. Scary. And sad.

Four die in Kimberley helicopter crash

• September 15, 2008 - 7:04AM

A male pilot and three young women are dead after a helicopter crashed in Western Australia's north yesterday, sparking a one-kilometre-long bushfire.

The tourist flight ended in tragedy when the aircraft, operated by Slingair Heliwork, crashed on level ground just before 1pm (WST) and burst into flames.

The three female passengers, aged between 19 and 20, and the 40-year-old male pilot died when the chopper went down 12 km from the Bellburn air strip in the Purnululu (Bungle Bungle) National Park.

The crash sparked a fire that grew into a blaze with a one-kilometre front, which park rangers have been trying to control into the night.

Police say two other helicopters flying in the area raised the alarm after they saw smoke and were unable to make radio contact with the downed chopper.

"It is not known at this stage whether there was any mayday call or any reason for the crash," a police spokesman said.

Slingair Heliwork, which operated the helicopter, has not been available for comment.

Its fleet of 50 aircraft are used for transport and scenic flights in the region, famous for its spectacular natural beauty.

Police and air safety investigators were at the scene and were being helped by Purnululu rangers.

Forensic investigators could not reach the area before nightfall, requiring that the bodies remain in the wreckage until daylight.

Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) fire duty officer Murray Carter said firefighters were battling the blaze in 40-degree heat but with little wind.

The department has four ground crews with water tankers on the scene but has had to suspend operations until first light.

"We're still hopeful that as the night cools and if things stay steady there will be no further problems with the fire side of things tomorrow," Mr Carter told AAP.

He said it's a difficult area for ground tankers, which is delaying firefighters getting the upper hand.

"We'll just try to get the fire out as quickly as we can."

Bellburn airstrip, where the helicopter went down, is a bush camp in the park, about 55 km by air from the township of Warnum, also known as Turkey Creek.