Two pilots died when their firefighting helicopter crashed during water-bucket drops on the Dome Fire near Mariposa, and federal investigators are now working to determine the cause.
A Eurocopter AS332L1 Super Puma went down around 2:55 p.m. local time on September 20, 2026, while conducting water-bucket drops southeast of Ostrander Lake inside Yosemite National Park. Both men aboard were killed. The aircraft was operated by Oregon-based contractor Precision under a firefighting contract on the Dome Fire.
Morning Overview reported the crash occurred near Mariposa, California, as crews battled the blaze that had started five days earlier in the Mariposa County area.
The pilots were identified as Greg King of Alaska and Ryan Cutter of Utah. Both worked for Precision. King had extensive experience on wildland fires alongside Alaska’s Division of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Federal officials moved quickly to open a formal probe. The FAA confirmed the basic facts of the accident and stated that the National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation, the standard arrangement for a fatal civil aircraft accident.
FAA confirms crash under unknown circumstances on water drops
The Washington Examiner carried the FAA’s account that one passenger and one crew member were killed after the helicopter “crashed under unknown circumstances while on water bucket drops.” No cause has been released.
Neither the FAA nor the NTSB has issued a preliminary finding. Investigators remain in the earliest fact-gathering phase. They are expected to examine the wreckage, engines, gearbox, rotors, drive system, fuel state, weather conditions, and crew duty records. No date has been set for a preliminary report.
Aerial firefighting carries known hazards. Water-bucket work often occurs at low altitude and reduced speed near smoke, terrain, and shifting winds. The AS332L1 is a heavy twin-engine helicopter built to carry larger water loads than the light single-engine aircraft commonly used on smaller fires. That capability puts crews closer to the fire line.
Similar risks appear across aviation. Fatal military helicopter crashes have underscored how quickly mechanical or operational factors can turn deadly even for experienced crews.
Precision and Alaska officials honor the fallen pilots
Precision said it was devastated by the loss and asked for privacy and compassion for the pilots’ families and for its own staff. The company is cooperating with the FAA, NTSB, and fire agencies. It has not said whether other aircraft were grounded pending the outcome.
Fox News quoted Precision Helicopters: “These two men brought honor to the mission. Their dedication and service will never be forgotten.”
Alaska’s Division of Forestry and Fire Protection remembered King as a cherished member of its wildland fire family. He had served on wildland fires in Alaska and worked extensively alongside the division. The agency added that Greg was a dedicated aviator and a dear friend to many.
Loss of life in the air remains a recurring cost of emergency response. Charter and support flights in remote country have claimed multiple lives in other recent accidents, reminding the public that support crews share the same dangers as ground teams.
Dome Fire still burning after the crash
The Dome Fire started September 15, 2026. By the Monday evening after the crash it had grown to more than 3,400 acres with 15 percent containment, according to figures carried in the initial coverage. Officials have not said the loss of the Super Puma materially slowed the broader response.
Reuters reported that the two pilots died Sunday afternoon while dropping water on the wildfire in Yosemite National Park, and that the crash contributes to a deadly stretch for wildfire aviation. King was named in the Alaska division statement; full identification of both pilots followed from Precision and related accounts.
Hundreds of firefighters continued working the blaze after the accident. The aircraft’s removal from the rotation left one less heavy helicopter available for bucket work, yet containment figures kept advancing on the existing plan.
Other recent aviation disasters show how victim identification and multi-agency coordination unfold after a crash. Authorities named five killed in a cargo aircraft accident once recovery and notification were complete, the same careful sequence now underway for the families of King and Cutter.
Investigation stays in early phase with no timeline set
The NTSB’s probable-cause report will come much later. A preliminary report often appears within roughly a month, though several months can pass before even that document is ready. No broader review of water-drop procedures across aerial firefighting contracts has been announced.
Precision has not publicly detailed the maintenance history of the specific airframe or the pilots’ recent duty days. Those records typically form part of the NTSB’s early document requests. Weather data from the Yosemite area on the afternoon of September 20 will also be examined.
Hard lessons from past midair and ground collisions keep safety questions alive. A police helicopter collision in Pennsylvania showed how quickly shared airspace can turn fatal when procedures or visibility fail.
For now the facts remain limited to what the FAA and company statements have confirmed: a heavy Super Puma on contract water drops, two experienced pilots, a crash under still-unknown circumstances, and an open federal investigation with the NTSB in the lead.
Men who fly low and slow over active wildfires accept risks most Americans never see. They deserve a complete, transparent accounting of what brought this aircraft down, and the steady support of a country that still expects the fire line to hold.
