Jake Harrell
Arkansas Forestry Commission - January 31, 2014
Pilot Harrell was assigned to perform a fire detection flight near Glenwood, Arkansas. He was the sole occupant of a Cessna 210E aircraft. The flight departed at 1240hrs and Pilot Harrell reported his progress to a dispatch center.
At 1303hrs, Pilot Harrell reported that he was returning to base due to reduced visibility. There were no further radio transmissions from the plane. Approximately 20 minutes later, the dispatch center reported that the aircraft was overdue. Search efforts for the aircraft were hampered by bad weather over the next 11 days. The wreckage was discovered on February 11, 2014.
The aircraft impacted trees on a ridgeline at an elevation of 1,473 feet. Pilot Harrell was killed in the crash.
Jake served in the 188th Air National Guard out of Fort Smith, Arkansas for 14 years as a crew chief, serving three tours in Operation Freedom. He was a police officer in North Little Rock. He was a licensed commercial pilot with multiple ratings and flew fire detection for the Arkansas Forestry Commission.
