Two pilots died when their firefighting helicopter crashed in central Utah while en route to a blaze in Fishlake National Forest. The Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane was dispatched Friday morning to combat the wildfire.
According to the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office, the helicopter went down at about 10 a.m. MDT near Richfield, Utah, en route to the fire. Immediately after the accident, access to the crash site was blocked by the raging wildfire, so the condition of the crew could not be immediately determined.
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The helicopter has the ability to carry up to 2,000 gallons of water.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the FAA are investigating the accident.
The names of the deceased pilots have not been released. They were employed by Helicopter Transport Services, an industrial helicopter company that provides rotor-wing aircraft for a variety of industries.
The crash ignited a second fire that spread, connecting with the existing blaze known as the Widemouth 2 Fire.