DNR organizes escort procession and honor detail for victims of helicopter crash

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) - After four people died in a helicopter crash, the Dept. of Natural Resource (DNR) had an honor detail and escort procession for the individuals who lost their lives, 3 of which were DNR employees.

On Thursday, July 27, the DNR had a gathering of employees, friends and family along with an honor detail and escort procession. The event took place at 10 a.m. and 1:50 p.m. Those who gathered stood on Airport Way in silence, many holding flowers, as they watched their fallen colleagues pass by, escorted by DNR park rangers and firemen.

The individuals involved in the crash include one pilot and three DNR employees. Among them was 48-year-old Bernard “Tony” Higdon. Higdon was the pilot of the vehicle, who recently transitioned out of the Army to a helicopter charter pilot. Higdon resided in North Pole. The three DNR employee’s included 51-year-old Ronald Daanen, a permafrost expert from the Netherlands, who resided in Fairbanks. Also from Fairbanks was 27-year-old Justin Germann, a hydrologist for the DNR. Torri Moore, 26, of South Bend, Indiana, was another scientist with a background in geological and Earth sciences.

At the 10 a.m. ceremony, the Alaska State Troopers provided an honor detail along Airport Way, across from Pike’s Landing.

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