Two helicopter pilots were killed Sunday afternoon when their aircraft
crashed while fighting the Dome Fire in Yosemite National Park,
according to federal officials. The helicopter was conducting aerial
firefighting operations in a remote portion of the California park
when it went down southeast of Ostrander Lake.
The aircraft was described as a Super Puma helicopter being used for
water-bucket drops over the wildfire. One of the pilots was identified
as Greg King, who worked for the contract aviation company Precision,
while authorities were withholding the second pilot’s identity until
relatives could be notified.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety
Board are investigating the crash. Investigators will examine the
aircraft, weather, flight operations and other evidence as they work
to determine what caused the helicopter to go down.
Aerial crews play a critical role in wildfire response by carrying
water or retardant into terrain that can be difficult or dangerous for
firefighters to reach from the ground. Those missions also carry
significant risks because pilots frequently operate at low altitude,
near smoke and mountainous terrain, while carrying heavy external
loads.
The Yosemite fatalities bring the number of helicopter pilots killed
in wildfire-related crashes this year to five, according to Reuters.
At least 18 people have died while fighting wildfires in the United
States in 2026, a total that has already exceeded the recent annual
average cited in federal data.
Western states have faced an especially difficult fire season
following low winter snowpack, prolonged drought and periods of
extreme heat. The Dome Fire remains part of a broader wildfire season
that has stretched firefighting resources and placed renewed attention
on the dangers faced by both ground and aviation crews.
