Yosemite firefighting helicopter had water-bucket trouble before crash that killed 2

A firefighting helicopter operating in Yosemite National Park experienced issues with its 800-gallon water bucket earlier on the day of the crash, according to a preliminary National Transportation Safety Board report.

After returning from an initial firefighting mission, mechanics tightened the bucket’s air-pressure regulator and performed a pressure check before the aircraft was sent back out, the NTSB said.

The helicopter, an Airbus AS332 L1 Super Puma, completed more than 25 water drops on the Dome Fire during a nearly three-hour firefighting flight earlier in the day, before resuming drops on a new area using Ostrander Lake as the water source.

During the third trip from Ostrander Lake, the water drop began around 1:56 p.m.; the bucket emptied in about three seconds, and the aircraft yawed left about a second later. The bucket then fell nearly vertically and struck the ground, followed by the cargo hook releasing as the 200-foot line descended.

The helicopter subsequently moved forward and struck trees on steep, densely forested terrain at about 8,150 feet elevation, with the main wreckage ending up roughly 500 feet downslope from the base of the slope. Both pilots, Ryan Cutter and Greg King, were fatally aboard, and the Dome Fire remained under investigation at the time of the crash.