Pilot Greg King Identified in Fatal Yosemite Dome Fire Helicopter Crash

The helicopter was making water drops when it crashed

The Associated Press reports that the Super Puma helicopter crashed Sunday while making water drops on the Dome Fire. SFGATE, citing the FAA, identified the aircraft as a Eurocopter AS32, a model in the Super Puma family.

Both people aboard died. The Alaska forestry agency described both as pilots, and AP reported that both were employed by the contract aircraft company Precision. An FAA preliminary entry cited by BakersfieldNow lists the occupants as one pilot and one passenger. Because those public descriptions conflict, this report does not assign a role to the second person beyond confirming that person was aboard.

The reports place the crash near Ostrander Lake, southeast of El Capitan and northeast of Wawona. The Chronicle says recovery work was continuing at the remote site Monday amid active-fire conditions.

Federal investigators have not announced a cause

The NTSB is leading the crash investigation, with support from the FAA. No preliminary cause, flight sequence, maintenance finding or weather-related determination had been released when this article was published.

Published accounts differ on the exact time of the crash, placing it between roughly 2 and 3 p.m. Sunday. This report does not resolve that discrepancy or present an exact time as established fact.

The fact that the helicopter was conducting wildfire water drops establishes its mission at the time. It does not establish why it crashed or whether the Dome Fire itself directly caused an equipment or flight-control problem.

Alaska forestry officials identified Precision pilot Greg King

The Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection identified Greg King as a Precision Helicopters pilot and a former member of Alaska's wildland fire community. The agency said he had served on Alaska wildfires and worked extensively alongside the division.

AP independently confirmed the identification through agency spokesperson Emery Johnson. AP reports that King's close relatives work for the agency and gave permission for his name to be released.

The second person aboard had not been publicly identified Monday afternoon. That absence should not be filled with names circulating on social media or other unverified claims.

The Chronicle and AP report that Precision chief executive David Rath expressed grief over the loss and asked for privacy for the families and company team.

There has been no publicly announced finding of wrongdoing by the crew, contractor, park service or incident command. Responsibility, if any, will depend on evidence gathered by federal investigators.

The Dome Fire remains an active, difficult backcountry incident

AP reported Monday that the Dome Fire had burned approximately 3,022 acres and was 15% contained, with about 580 personnel assigned. Those figures are a dated incident snapshot and may change as mapping and suppression work continue.

The fire began September 15 near Wawona Dome. ABC30 and the Chronicle reported that rugged terrain, smoke and dangerous standing dead trees have complicated the response, with crews using hand tools and aircraft where conventional engines and bulldozers cannot readily operate.

The helicopter crash is a separate fatal aviation event within that wildfire response. It should not be counted as evidence that containment worsened, and the loss of one aircraft does not by itself establish the total aerial resources still available to incident command.

What remains unknown

Investigators had not publicly released the second person's name, the aircraft's tail number, a preliminary flight path, recorded communications, maintenance history or a probable cause.

No reviewed source reported a completed recovery, public memorial plan or final accident report. NTSB investigations commonly require examination of wreckage, operating records, weather, communications and witness information before conclusions are issued.

Readers should treat any immediate online claim assigning blame as unverified unless it is supported by a named authority or documented evidence.

About the image

The featured image is an authentic 2005 file photograph of Ostrander Lake in Yosemite National Park, the area near which reporting places the crash. It provides geographic context only and does not show the Dome Fire, the aircraft, crash wreckage, either victim or the investigation.

Tim Bergeron licensed the photograph under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 through Wikimedia Commons. Its use does not imply endorsement by the photographer, Wikimedia Commons, Yosemite National Park, investigators or the contractor.