Washington: A firefighting helicopter crashed during the forest fire extinguishing operation in the Yosemite National Park of America. Both the pilots aboard the helicopter were killed in the accident. According to officials, the accident occurred on Sunday afternoon when the helicopter was busy putting water on the fire. There was no one else in the helicopter except the pilots. Both pilots were working for contract aircraft company ‘Precision’.
One of the pilots killed in the crash has been identified as Greg King. He previously worked with the Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection and participated in several wildfire missions in Alaska. Later he joined Precision. Alaska agency spokesman Emery Johnson said King’s next of kin still work for the agency. His name was released only after getting permission from the family. The identity of the other pilot has not been released at this time.
According to Federal Complex Incident Management Team spokesman Benjamin Cosell, the Super Puma helicopter was using buckets of water to extinguish the fire when it crashed near the lake. No details about the circumstances of the accident were immediately available. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate the accident. Officials have not yet released the exact cause of the crash.