Archive · 9 Aug 2026
Two pilots dead after helicopter crash fighting Utah wildfire
Two helicopter pilots were fighting a big fire in Utah when their helicopter crashed.
Sadly, the pilots did not survive.
The helicopter was called a Skycrane, and it is used to carry water to put out fires.
When it crashed, it started a new fire that joined the big fire already burning.
The big fire has now burned almost 174 square miles of land, which is a very large area.
For a while, firefighters could not reach the crash site because of the flames.
On Saturday, they got there and confirmed that the pilots had died.
Other people in the story also died or had to leave their homes because of fires.
In British Columbia, more than 20,000 people had to evacuate because of another fast-moving fire.
Investigators will study the crash to figure out what went wrong, but it may take a year or more.
Two helicopter pilots died when their Sikorsky Skycrane crashed Friday morning while fighting a wildfire in Utah's Fishlake National Forest.
The crash ignited a new fire that merged with the existing blaze, which has now scorched nearly 174 square miles (about 451 square kilometers).
The pilots, employed by Helicopter Transport Services and contracted by the US Forest Service, were confirmed dead Saturday after crews reached the site.
The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash, a process expected to take a year or more.
Other Western blazes included fires near Spokane, Oregon's Wrights Spring fire, a closure at Mount Rainier National Park, and more than 20,000 evacuations in British Columbia.
- Who
- Two helicopter pilots employed by Helicopter Transport Services, which was contracted by the US Forest Service.
- What
- Their Sikorsky Skycrane helicopter crashed while fighting a wildfire, killing both pilots and igniting a new fire that merged with the existing blaze.
- When
- The crash occurred Friday morning; the deaths were confirmed by officials on Saturday.
- Where
- In the Fishlake National Forest in Utah.
- Why
- The cause is not yet known; the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the wreckage.
- Fatalities
- 2 helicopter pilots
- Aircraft
- Sikorsky Skycrane helicopter
- Crash date
- Friday morning
- Crash location
- Fishlake National Forest, Utah
- Fire size
- Nearly 174 square miles (about 451 square kilometers)
- Employer
- Helicopter Transport Services (contracted by US Forest Service)
- Investigator
- National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
- British Columbia evacuations
- More than 20,000 people