Aircraft company identifies 2nd pilot killed in Yosemite helicopter firefighting crash

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A contract aircraft company has identified the second pilot killed in the weekend crash of a firefighting helicopter in Yosemite National Park as Ryan Cutter.

Cutter and pilot Greg King both worked for Precision and were conducting water drops on a wildfire inside the park. They were the only people aboard when the AS332 Super Puma helicopter went down near Ostrander Lake shortly before 2 p.m. Sunday.

“These two men brought honor to the mission,” Precision wrote in a social media post accompanying photos of the pilots. “Their dedication and service will never be forgotten.”

The lake is roughly 9 miles (14 kilometers) south of Yosemite’s iconic El Capitan and about 7 miles (11 kilometers) northeast of Wawona, California.

Details about the circumstances surrounding the crash were not immediately released. It will be investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. Precision did not immediately respond to emails requesting comment.

On Monday, firefighters, law enforcement officers and other first responders took part in a procession honoring Cutter and King, lining the route to a local airport as the pilots' remains were transported home to their families.

The pilots were contracted to work with an Idaho-based wildland firefighting crew that specializes in using ropes to descend from helicopters to reach otherwise inaccessible terrain, known as helitack rappelling, and had recently been assigned to assist with the Dome Fire. The Super Puma helicopter can carry eight or more rappellers at one time, and can also be used to deploy water buckets or specially mounted tanks.

The Dome Fire started Sept. 15 near Wawona, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. It’s burning on about 4.7 square miles (12.3 square kilometers) and is about 15% contained.

At least 14 people have died while helping fight wildfires in the U.S. this year, the most since 2022 when 25 deaths were recorded, according to government reports.