At a memorial service in San Jose attended by hundreds yesterday, firefighters and family members paid tribute to 62-year-old Geoffrey Hunt, the pilot of an air tanker who crashed into a canyon wall in Yosemite National Park and died while fighting a wildfire.
Federal investigators have said the wing of Hunt's plane might have hit a tree and broken off before the Oct. 7 crash.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says the ceremony with full "Line of Duty Death" honors took place at the Church on the Hill in San Jose.
CalFire Chief Ken Pimlott says the department continues to mourn Hunt, who "made the ultimate sacrifice."
Hunt was a 13-year veteran pilot of DynCorp International, which contracts with the state.
He was the plane's sole crew member when it hit the steep canyon wall near the park's west entrance Oct. 7.
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