FirstAlerts
Plane Crashes

Two Pilots Killed in Helicopter Crash on Utah Wildfire Identified

FireRescue1 reports both pilots of a Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane died in the Aug. 7 crash on the Widemouth 2 Fire; the cause has not been determined.

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 11, 2026, 8:28 p.m. ET
pilots were killed when a helicopter crashed while assigned to a wildfire near , Utah, on Aug. 7, 2026, , FireRescue1 reported. The investigation is open and details remain subject to change. FireRescue1 reported a total of fatalities, and identified the pilots as Chris Andersen, 64, of Stateline, Nevada, and Miles Elliott, 50, of Porterville, California. According to the outlet, Andersen was the chief pilot and Elliott was assisting in flying the helicopter. The helicopter was assigned to the Widemouth Fire, described by FireRescue1 as Utah's largest wildfire of the year, which has burned more than 121,000 acres since being sparked by lightning on July 27. The outlet reported that the crash ignited a vegetation fire that eventually overtook the crash site, and that search and rescue teams reached the site on Aug. 8. The cause has not been determined, and the phase of flight at the time of the crash is not known. Officials said the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are working with firefighters to access the crash site and begin investigating, according to FireRescue1. The aircraft's registration has not been given in the available reporting, and the individual airframe has not been identified.

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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 Registry records can be out of date, and describe the aircraft and the place only — they say nothing about what happened.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
846 ft
Nearest aerodrome
3.2 miles W of Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport / Wold–Chamberlain Field (KMSP/MSP)

Sources

Revision history

  1. Version 112 Aug 2026, 00:28current

    First published.

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