Three Texas Parks and Wildlife employees died Saturday in a helicopter crash while exploring the landscape for desert bighorn sheep, according to state officials.
The victims were identified as wildlife biologist Dewey Stockbridge, fish and wildlife technician Brandon White, and veterinarian Dr. Bob Dittmar, according to a release from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) on Sunday.
“No words can begin to express the depth of sadness we feel for the loss of our colleagues in this tragic accident,” said Carter Smith, TPWD Executive Director. “These men were accomplished professionals, deeply loved and highly appreciated by their peers and partners for the enormous passion, dedication and expertise they brought to their important work in wildlife management and veterinary medicine.”
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The crash happened at TPWD’s Black Gap Wildlife Management Area, northwest of Big Bend National Park, pictured here in a 2001. Photo by Bobbie DeHerrera / Newsmakers.
The trio was flying over Black Gap Wildlife Management Area, northwest of Big Bend National Park when the helicopter crashed. The pilot, who was a private contractor, survived and was taken to El Paso after medical treatment.
Smith added that state workers carried out their call to help “investigate, control and protect the bighorns of their beloved mountains in western Texas” when they were killed.
On Sunday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a statement offering condolences to the families of the victims.
“Our hearts are hurting today for those who died in this tragic accident,” he said. “I ask all Texans to keep these families in their thoughts and prayers.”
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The Texas Department of Public Safety, Federal Aviation Administration, and the Texas Game Wardens are currently investigating the incident, according to the press release.
Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board announced Sunday that it was investigating the crash of a Bell 206B helicopter, but was “not currently traveling at the scene of the crash,” according to the Houston Chronicle.
The TPWD had helped recover the population of the desert bighorn sheep, which had declined sharply due to unregulated hunting and diseases transmitted from domestic and exotic cattle, officials said. Their rough population in 2018 was said to be 1,500.
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Annual surveys for falling helicopters that help monitor the sheep’s population and behavior were initiated in West Texas in 1990, according to the TPWD.
