Two pilots die in Yosemite helicopter crash while fighting the Dome Fire

Aircraft downing during water-drop mission

A Eurocopter AS32 Super Puma helicopter crashed in Yosemite National Park on Sunday afternoon, killing both pilots on board. The crash occurred at approximately 2:55 p.m. local time in Mariposa County, California, while the crew was performing water-bucket drops over the Dome Fire. The aircraft came down southeast of Ostrander Lake, roughly 9 miles south of El Capitan and 7 miles northeast of Wawona. Federal Complex Incident Management Team spokesperson Benjamin Cossel confirmed that the two pilots were the only occupants in the helicopter. Forest Service spokeswoman Adrienne Freeman noted that the pilots were engaged in bucket operations, which entail scooping water from nearby lakes or rivers to drop on active flames.

Operating crew and federal contract

The two pilots were employed by Precision, also known as Flyprecision, an aerospace and contracting company based in McMinnville, Oregon. The crew was contracted through the Price Valley Rappel Crew, a U.S. Forest Service unit based in Idaho, to support operations in California. Their mission involved working alongside wildland firefighters who specialize in helitack rappelling, descending from helicopters on ropes to access remote and rugged terrain. Precision confirmed that one of its aircraft went down during active fire suppression and withheld the pilots' names pending notifications to their families.

“It is with unimaginable sadness and broken hearts that we share the loss of two beloved members of our team. We are devastated by this loss and are struggling to find the words. We ask for privacy and compassion for their families and our team as we grieve this tremendous loss.”

Containment efforts on the Dome Fire

The Dome Fire broke out on Tuesday, 15 September 2026, near Wawona, approximately an hour's drive south of Yosemite Valley. By Monday morning, 21 September, the blaze had spread across roughly 4.7 square miles (12.3 square kilometers), consuming more than 3,200 acres (1,304 hectares) of brush, grass, and timber. Joint incident coordination spokesman Jay Nichols stated that the cause of the ignition remained unknown. A workforce of roughly 580 personnel was deployed to control the fire, achieving 15% containment. Yosemite National Park remained open to the public, though park authorities closed several trails due to active fire activity and drifting smoke.

Federal inquiries and wildfire casualties

The Federal Aviation Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board, and the U.S. Forest Service initiated investigations into the crash. The safety board announced that investigators would travel to the crash site once local fire conditions allowed, with a preliminary findings report expected within 30 days. The two deaths raised the toll of U.S. wildfire-related fatalities to at least 14 in 2026, the highest figure recorded since 25 deaths occurred in 2022. The 2026 season had already recorded fatal incidents including two helicopter pilot deaths in Utah, a crash in Colorado, four crew fatalities from the Knowles Fire, and individual deaths in Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Oregon. Nationwide, approximately 3.4 million hectares burned by late September, with peak firefighting deployments reaching roughly 15,000 personnel.