Update 1/24/19 at 12:25 p.m.:

ASHLAND, Ore. – Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) medical examiner investigators have identified the decedent in a January 23, 2019, helicopter crash as Timothy Bruce Lyons, 69, of Port Bolivar, Texas.  An autopsy has not yet been scheduled. 

On Wednesday at 3:01 p.m., JCSO search and rescue (SAR) personnel were requested to assist in the search for a downed aircraft.  A SAR team reached the crash site in a steep, wooded area southeast of the Interstate 5 exit 6 interchange, at 6:04 p.m.  Lyons was the pilot and only occupant of the Bell 206 helicopter, which is owned by Erickson, Inc. 

Personnel from Oregon State Police and Colestin Rural Fire District also responded to the incident.  The crash is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).  No further information regarding the crash will be released by JCSO. 

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Original release, 1/23/19:

ASHLAND, Ore. – One person died Wednesday in a helicopter crash south of Ashland. Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) search and rescue (SAR) personnel responded to assist in the search and recovery effort.

On January 23, 2019, at 3:01 p.m., dispatch received a request for personnel to search for a downed aircraft in a heavily wooded area near exit 6 of Interstate 5. SAR crews located the crash site and confirmed one fatality.

An investigator with the Jackson County medical examiner’s office responded to the scene. Information about the aircraft and the decedent’s identity is currently being withheld to allow time for family members to be notified.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been notified of the incident. No further information is available for release at this time.

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