Overview
- A Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma operated by contractor FlyPrecision crashed during water-bucket drops on Sunday, killing the two pilots who were the only people aboard and whose remains were recovered and routed to the Mariposa County coroner.
- Federal agencies confirmed the flight was supporting the Dome Fire response; FlyPrecision publicly acknowledged the loss and later social posts and reporting identified the pilots as Greg King and Ryan Cutter.
- The National Transportation Safety Board is the lead investigator with FAA participation and will examine the aircraft, operations, weather and maintenance records when fire conditions allow, with a preliminary NTSB report expected in about 30 days.
- The crash occurred in steep, remote backcountry southeast of Ostrander Lake where crews have relied on helicopters for water drops, helitack rappels and resupply because ground access is limited.
- Incident managers have deployed roughly 500–600 personnel on the Dome Fire, which has burned about 3,000–3,400 acres and is roughly 15% contained, and officials have mobilized mental‑health and critical‑incident support while the accident raises scrutiny of wildfire aviation safety this season.