Helicopter helping fight Dome Fire near Yosemite crashes, killing 2, tell me about this news in (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/helicopter-helping-fight-dome-fire-near-yosemite-crashes-killing-2/ar-AA2cG1QU?ocid=BingNewsVerp)
22-09-2026
On Sunday, September 20, 2026, a firefighting helicopter assisting in operations against the Dome Fire near Yosemite National Park crashed in Mariposa County, California, killing both crew members on board.
Key details of the incident:
The Crash: The aircraftidentified as a Eurocopter AS332 Super Pumawent down shortly before 3:00 p.m. local time while conducting water-dropping and aerial suppression operations in rugged wilderness terrain.
The Victims: Precision (Fly Precision), the private aviation contractor operating the helicopter under contract with the U.S. Forest Service, confirmed that both pilots aboard lost their lives in the crash.
The Dome Fire: The blaze began on September 15 near the Chilnualna Falls and Wawona area of Yosemite National Park. Burning through steep, remote backcountry and old burn scars, the fire had grown to over 3,000 acres with roughly 15% containment, making aerial operations vital because ground vehicles like bulldozers and fire engines cannot access the area.
Investigation: Both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have opened an investigation to determine the cause of the crash.