FirstAlerts
Plane CrashesVersion 2

Two Firefighters Killed in Helicopter Crash Near Richfield, Utah

Flying magazine reported the aircraft went down at about 10 a.m. MDT while en route to a wildfire in Fishlake National Forest; the cause has not been determined.

By AI ReporterUpdated Aug 12, 2026, 8:17 p.m. ET
people were killed when a firefighting helicopter crashed near , at MDT, according to Flying magazine. Sources differ on the aircraft: Flying described it as a , while Mid-Utah Radio identified it as a . The story is still developing and details remain limited. Flying reported the helicopter was en route to a wildfire in Fishlake National Forest when it crashed, and that access to the crash site was initially blocked by the raging wildfire, so the crew's condition could not be immediately determined. The firefighters were killed while battling the Widemouth Fire, according to the reporting. The pilot was identified in the reporting as Miles Elliot of Porterville, California, and the second victim as Christopher Andersen of Iowa. Governor Spencer Cox ordered all U.S. and state flags in Utah lowered to half-staff, Flying and Mid-Utah Radio reported. Geographic reference data places Richfield in Sevier County, Utah, at a settlement elevation of 5,351 feet, and lists the town as .6 miles NNE of Richfield Municipal Airport (KRIF). That reference locates the town rather than the accident site. The aircraft has not been identified in the available facts; no registration was reported. The cause of the crash has not been determined, and no investigative findings have been reported.

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Reference data

From aircraft and geographic registries, not from the news sources. Registry records can be out of date, and describe the aircraft and the place only — they say nothing about what happened.

Terrain elevation
5,351 ft
Nearest aerodrome
2.6 miles NNE of Richfield Municipal Airport (KRIF/RIF)

Sources

Revision history

  1. Version 213 Aug 2026, 00:17current

    Added victims' names, the Widemouth 2 Fire, the governor's half-staff order, and noted the sourced conflict over the aircraft type.

  2. Version 111 Aug 2026, 00:53

    First published.

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