The Smart Marty Sky Dispatch
NTSB releases new details of deadly Yosemite National Park firefighter helicopter crash
The firefighting helicopter that crashed in Yosemite last month had problems with its water bucket during an earlier flight, according to a preliminary National Transportation Safety Board report.
The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report on the Yosemite National Park firefighting helicopter crash, noting issues with the helicopter’s water bucket during an earlier flight the same day.
The helicopter involved was a Eurocopter AS332, which was operating as part of firefighting efforts against the Dome fire when the crash occurred.
The crash happened while the aircraft was performing a water drop near Ostrander Lake, during the third dip following a nearly three-hour firefighting mission that included a total of about 25 water drops.
According to the report, the bucket issue involved a failed or problematic water-delivery sequence earlier in the day, with maintenance actions taken on site to tighten an air pressure regulator and recheck the system before additional drops.
The pilots, Greg King and Ryan Cutter, were killed in the crash, which occurred after the bucket began to swing left and the helicopter descended rapidly, with the bucket dropping nearly vertically and the cargo hook releasing the 200-foot cable before the aircraft impacted trees and ground.
The NTSB states that most of the helicopter was consumed by fire, limiting data available from cockpit gauges, and the investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.