Firefighting helicopter crashes near Yosemite, killing both pilots
[September 22, 2026]
By REBECCA BOONE
Two helicopter pilots were killed when their aircraft crashed Sunday
afternoon while conducting water drops on a wildfire at Yosemite
National Park, officials say.
The pilots were the only people on board and were employed by the
contract aircraft company Precision. One of the pilots was Greg King,
who used to work for the Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection
and fought several wildland fires in that state before moving to
Precision, said agency spokesperson Emery Johnson.
King's close relatives work at the agency and gave their permission to
release his name, Johnson said. The identity of the second pilot has not
yet been released.
At least 14 people have died while helping with wildfires in the U.S.
this year, the most since 2022 when 25 deaths were recorded, according
to government reports. In August, two helicopter pilots died while
helping fight a fire in Utah and a helicopter pilot in Colorado crashed
into a reservoir.
Details about the circumstances surrounding Sunday's crash were not
immediately released. It will be investigated by the Federal Aviation
Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
The Super Puma helicopter had been using a water bucket to help suppress
the fire when it went down near a lake, said Benjamin Cossel, a
spokesperson with the Federal Complex Incident Management Team
overseeing the firefighting response.
The Alaska forestry and fire agency called the deaths a devastating loss
for the entire wildland firefighting community.
“Greg was a dedicated aviator and a dear friend to many of us. We are
mourning both pilots who bravely supported firefighting efforts, and our
hearts go out to their families,” the agency statement said.
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Precision wrote on social media that the company was “struggling to find
the words.”
“We ask for privacy and compassion for their families and our team as we
grieve this tremendous loss,” the statement said.
Roughly 580 people are fighting the Dome Fire, which started Sept. 15
near Wawona, California, according to the National Interagency Fire
Center. It's burning on about 4.7 square miles (12.3 square kilometers)
and is about 15% contained.
The crash site was southeast of Ostrander Lake, which is roughly 7 miles
(11 kilometers) northeast of Wawona and roughly 9 miles (14 kilometers)
south of Yosemite’s iconic El Capitan.
Other firefighters who have died this month include one in Oklahoma who
suffered a medical emergency while fighting a wildfire, and another in
Oregon who was hit by a tree that broke while he was cutting it in Mt.
Hood National Forest.
Also in August, a wildfire officer was killed in Oklahoma after getting
trapped while evacuating a burning building in a wildland fire; a
firefighter died following a medical emergency during a wildfire in
Minnesota; and a bulldozer operator got overrun by flames in Oregon.
In June, four firefighters got trapped in a fire in western Colorado.
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Associated Press correspondent Matthew Brown contributed from Billings,
Montana.
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