The National Transportation Safety Board has released a preliminary report detailing the final, harrowing seconds of a firefighting helicopter that crashed into a Yosemite mountainside, killing both pilots.
Greg King, 56, of Alaska, and Ryan Cutter of Utah died on September 20 while battling the Dome Fire in a Eurocopter AS32 Super Puma. The aircraft had already logged nearly three hours of flight time and completed more than 25 water drops when catastrophe struck during its third run after a mid-mission equipment adjustment.
The trouble began with the helicopter’s 800-gallon water bucket, which hung from a 200-foot cable beneath the aircraft. After experiencing issues with the bucket, the pilots returned to their helibase, where mechanics tightened the air pressure regulator and performed a pressure check. The helicopter was cleared to resume operations and took off again, but less than 30 minutes later, the mission ended in disaster.
After collecting water from Ostrander Lake, King and Cutter completed two drops near a designated landing area. During the second drop, the helicopter swerved left but continued flying, returning to the lake for another load. On the third drop attempt, the situation deteriorated with terrifying speed.
Flight-tracking data captured the bucket emptying in roughly three seconds as the aircraft veered left and began sinking toward the trees. Its groundspeed collapsed while its descent rate hit 1,344 feet per minute.
“The bucket appeared to drop almost vertically and then contacted the ground,” investigators wrote.
About one second later, the cargo hook released the 200-foot cable, sending the longline falling away as the aircraft surged forward. But the maneuver came too late. Just five seconds after the bucket struck the ground, the helicopter smashed into trees on a steep, wooded slope.
The wreckage was consumed by a post-crash fire that destroyed much of the aircraft, including extensive portions of the cockpit and its instruments. Investigators found the water bucket about 90 feet from the main wreckage. The cargo hook was discovered in a locked position, indicating the cable had been released electronically rather than manually.
Aviation expert John Nance told ABC30 that the bucket could hold crucial clues to the crash’s cause.
“There is a possibility and probability actually that the bucket they were carrying to fight the fire has some involvement with the accident,” Nance said.
He added a cautionary note, however, that the preliminary findings do not establish whether the pilots erred by returning to the fire after the earlier equipment problems.
The NTSB has recovered the cockpit voice recorder and is analyzing audio from ground recordings to study engine and rotor speeds. The exact cause remains undetermined, with additional examination of the burned wreckage planned as conditions permit.
The tragedy shattered Fly Precision, the private firefighting company that employed both pilots.
“It is with unimaginable sadness and broken hearts that we share the loss of two beloved members of our team,” the company said in a statement after the crash.
Company leaders remembered King as a “legend” in Alaska’s aviation community, praising his flying skills, judgment and personality.
The Dome Fire burned through rugged terrain in Yosemite National Park, prompting an aggressive aerial response that included the Super Puma and its crew of veteran pilots. Wildfires in the park have grown increasingly complex to manage as fire seasons lengthen and intensify across the American West, placing heavy demands on contracted aviation crews who fly repeated cycles from water sources to fire lines in challenging mountain conditions.
The NTSB investigation continues.