Two pilots are killed when their firefighting helicopter crashes while dropping water on Yosemite's Dome Fire
From the Newshound archive · first published 21 September 2026 · last updated 22 September 2026.
A firefighting helicopter like those contracted to battle Yosemite's Dome Fire, which has scorched over 3,000 acres and killed two pilots when one aircraft crashed while performing a water-bucket drop on Sunday.A firefighting helicopter crash scene southeast of Lake Ostrander in Yosemite, where a Eurocopter AS32 contracted to fight the Dome Fire went down while actively performing a water-bucket drop, killing both pilots on…
A Eurocopter AS32 helicopter owned by contractor Precision crashed southeast of Lake Ostrander inside Yosemite National Park on Sunday afternoon while actively dropping water on the Dome Fire. Both pilots on board were killed, with their remains recovered on Monday.
The aircraft went down during a water bucket drop, as close to 600 ground and air personnel worked to fight the blaze.
Precision, the private contractor that owned the aircraft, said it was sharing the loss of 'two beloved members of our team' with 'unimaginable sadness and broken hearts.'
A fire official warned the crash was 'devastating to the wildland firefighting community,' describing it as an 'extremely small' world where 'we all know each other.'
