Two Fly Precision Pilots Killed When Firefighting Helicopter Crashes Battling Yosemite's Dome Fire

Two pilots died Sunday, September 20, when the helicopter they were flying crashed while fighting the Dome Fire in Yosemite National Park, according to the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Forest Service.

The aircraft, a Eurocopter AS332 (identified by some officials as the AS332L1 variant), went down just before 3 p.m. Pacific time during a water bucket drop, the FAA told multiple outlets including NBC News and USA TODAY. Both pilots aboard were killed. Benjamin Cossel, spokesperson for California Complex Incident Management Team 3, told ABC News the crash happened southeast of Lake Ostrander. KTVU reported the crash occurred shortly before 2 p.m. near Yosemite Village, a timing and location that differs from the FAA's account carried by other outlets. The discrepancy has not been resolved publicly, and neither the NTSB nor the FAA has issued a corrected timeline as of Monday.

The helicopter was operated by Oregon-based Fly Precision, also known online as Precision, which confirmed the deaths in a statement posted to social media Sunday. "It is with unimaginable sadness and broken hearts that we share the loss of two beloved members of our team," the company said. "We ask for privacy and compassion for their families and our team as we grieve this tremendous loss."

The identities of both pilots have not been officially released pending notification of next of kin. But the Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection identified one of them as Greg King, calling him "a dedicated aviator and a dear friend to many of us" who had flown wildland fires alongside the division in Alaska. "We are mourning both pilots who bravely supported firefighting efforts, and our hearts go out to their families," the division said in a statement Monday.

Adrienne Freeman, a U.S. Forest Service spokesperson, said the crew had been contracted to the agency's Price Valley Rappel Crew out of Idaho at the time of the crash, according to the Times of India. The helicopter, a twin-engine utility aircraft manufactured in 1994, had been assisting with Dome Fire suppression since the blaze started, according to the Los Angeles Times, which cited flight-tracking site FlightAware showing the aircraft first over the fire at 9:38 a.m. Sunday.

Weather at the time was mild. Carlos Molina, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Hanford, told the Los Angeles Times winds near the fire were running 3 to 4 mph out of the south-southwest, with scattered clouds around 12,000 feet and more extensive cloud cover higher up near 25,000 feet. No cause for the crash has been determined.

The remains of both pilots were recovered Monday afternoon and transported in an honor escort to the Mariposa County coroner's office, Cossel told KTVU and ABC News. Video shared with KTVU showed firefighters lining up in a solemn procession to pay respects. "This is extremely challenging on everybody here," Cossel said. "The wildland firefighting world is an extremely small community. We all know each other, and if we don't know each other, it's just because we haven't met each other yet."

Cossel said the incident management team has begun bringing in critical incident stress management teams to support fire personnel. "Their physical health and their mental health are inter-tied with each other and as important to us as anything," he said.

Investigation and fire status

The NTSB is leading the crash investigation, with the FAA assisting, according to every outlet reporting on the incident. An NTSB spokesperson said investigators will travel to the crash site "when fire conditions allow," and a preliminary report is expected within 30 days.

The Dome Fire itself, which ignited September 15 near Wawona Dome in Mariposa County, had burned more than 3,000 acres and was 15% contained as of Monday, according to CAL Fire and the National Park Service. The fire grew by 283 acres overnight into Monday, per the Park Service, and has pushed further into the footprint of the 2017 Empire Fire, where reduced vegetation has slowed its spread to creeping and smoldering in some areas. Gusty winds have carried embers ahead of the main fire line, sparking spot fires to the north, according to myMotherLode. No structures were considered at risk as of Monday. The cause of the Dome Fire remains under investigation.

Officials have not linked the crash to any mechanical or procedural failure. The NTSB's preliminary findings, due within roughly a month, will be the first official word on what brought the helicopter down.