Victims of copter accident praised, mourned

Flying across the Cascades can be challenging for many helicopter pilots. But for Keiko Minakata, Thursday's flight from Seattle's Boeing Field to a logging operation near Easton was supposed to be a routine trip.

Minakata, a chief flight instructor at Classic Helicopter, successfully delivered her passengers — Everett timber broker Robert "Bob" Hagerman, 64, and his two South Korean business clients — to the logging site in a rural area about three miles south of Easton. They toured the property then climbed back into the Robinson R44 Raven II for the trip home.

The helicopter crashed shortly after takeoff, witnesses said, killing 42-year-old Minakata and her three passengers and sparking a 485-acre wildfire. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating.

"I had a conversation with her just before she went to take that flight. She was in good spirits," said Philip Walling, vice president of Classic Helicopter. "She was just such a professional. She is someone everybody wants to work with."

The wildfire has spread from land owned by Barbee Mill Co. to Plum Creek Timber, said Robin Keegan, spokeswoman for Plum Creek. The fire prevented investigators from getting to the wreckage until Friday afternoon.

That's when emergency crews recovered three of the four bodies, said Kittitas County Undersheriff Clayton Myers. One of the bodies had to be left at the site because of its proximity to the wreckage and so the NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration have a chance to investigate the crash.

The bodies will be examined by a medical examiner, though it's unclear what county will be responsible for that task.

"The first priority is the fire itself and trying to contain the fire. We're going to try not to rush into this. ... The crash site is not going anywhere," said Department of Natural Resources Fire Information Officer Mark Grassel earlier Friday.

The only building currently in the fire's path is an unoccupied cabin on an adjacent ridge.

Myers said one person saw the crash. A group of people on the ground heard the crash and headed toward it but were stopped about a half-mile away by the spreading flames. A member of the group called 911 on a cellphone.

Hagerman, owner of Everett-based Formark Forest Marketing Enterprises, was a quintessential self-made man, his family said. He was born and raised in Chicago, but he began running away from home at age 14. He didn't finish high school, and he moved to the Pacific Northwest after a stint in the U.S. Navy.

He entered the timber industry in 1966 and turned his new livelihood into a successful business.

"He was just a hardworking guy who believed in building something good," said his son-in-law, Carl Anderson.

Hagerman was a warm and courageous man, always willing to take on tasks deemed too difficult or dangerous by those around him, his family said. But the thrill of helicopter trips had faded over the years.

"He didn't really enjoy it anymore, but it was part of his business," Anderson said.

Hagerman was among the last of his breed — an independent timber broker who had survived the industry's dramatic swings.

"He's had rough years and he had good times. He was good at what he did — he would find his little niche he needed to make his product work," said Dave Wetzel, a dispatcher for Dunlap marine towing, operator of the Port of Everett log yard where Hagerman stored his timber.

Hagerman married his third wife, Lyndy Hagerman, in 1999 and they shared a home on the Tulalip Reservation, on a bluff overlooking Possession Sound, Whidbey Island and the Olympics beyond. An avid outdoorsman who liked to fish, snowmobile and go crabbing, Hagerman also had a vacation home in Winthrop, Okanogan County.

"He had a huge heart. He'd do anything for anybody," said his stepdaughter, Lisa Anderson of Marysville.

"He was the best," agreed Carl Anderson. "Even if he had a bad day, he would tuck it away and just be happy to see you. Always a really good time. I've never seen him not trying to make the best of every situation."

Hagerman also is survived by his son, Scott Hagerman, of Ballard, and his daughter, Angela Hagerman, of Kirkland.

Little is known about the two Korean citizens who died, Hyun Song and Si Lee. P.K. Yuh, consulate general of South Korea in Seattle, said he was notified Friday morning about their deaths.

"I have been in close contact with their family members. I'm assisting them to get a U.S. visa," Yuh said. "They [the families] feel very desperate, and I gave my deepest condolences to them."

Minakata's mother and sister are flying from their homes near Tokyo today, Walling said. He said Minakata, a Japanese citizen, was close to her family.

"She was very humble, very unassuming," Walling said. "She was the kind of friend you were proud to have. She always made you feel good."

Minakata had worked in the U.S. for six years and had worked at Classic Helicopter about 2 ½, Waling said. Over the past six years, Minakata had racked up more than 2,100 hours of flying time, he said.

Before coming to the U.S. she led Japanese tourists on guided land tours across Europe, Walling added.

Seattle Times staff reporter Christina Siderius and news researcher Miyoko Wolf contributed to this report.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-2204 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com

Diane Brooks: 425-745-7802 or dbrooks@seattletimes.com

Sara Jean Green: 206-515-5654 or sgreen@seattletims.com