FirstAlerts
Plane CrashesVersion 2

Two pilots killed in firefighting helicopter crash near Richfield, Utah, outlet reports

Bakersfieldnow.com identified the pilots as Miles Elliott, 50, of Porterville, California, and Chris Andersen, 64; the cause has not been determined.

By AI ReporterFirst reported Aug 14, 2026, 4:45 p.m. ETUpdated Aug 15, 2026, 8:25 p.m. ET
pilots were killed when a helicopter supporting firefighting operations crashed near , at , according to bakersfieldnow.com. The outlet gave conflicting dates for the crash, reporting it as August 7, 2025 in one report and August 7, 2026 in another. It also described the aircraft as both a Skycrane and a . The outlet reported that people were on board, and identified the pilots killed as Miles Elliott, 50, a Porterville, California native and Porterville High School graduate, and Chris Andersen, 64. Bakersfieldnow.com reported that the helicopter was working the Widemouth Fire in under an exclusive-use contract with the U.S. Forest Service, and named the operator as . Registry records list 11 aircraft under that operator; the aircraft involved in the crash has not been identified. Bakersfieldnow.com reported that flags at Porterville city facilities will be lowered in recognition of Miles Elliott, and that a procession of fire engines and law enforcement vehicles was planned in Porterville for him on August 14, 2026. The cause of the crash has not been determined, and no investigative findings have been reported. Weather observations recorded at Fillmore Municipal Airport (KFOM), 19.9 miles away, five minutes from the reported time of the crash, showed wind from 240 degrees at 9 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, clear skies and a temperature of 88°F. According to geographic reference data, Richfield lies in Sevier County, , at a settlement elevation of 5,351 feet, about .6 miles from Richfield Municipal Airport (KRIF); that reference locates the town rather than the crash site.

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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 Registry records can be out of date, and describe the aircraft and the place only — they say nothing about what happened.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 216 Aug 2026, 00:25current

    Adds second pilot killed (Chris Andersen, 64) and Elliott's age, the August 14, 2026 procession, conflicting crash dates and aircraft-type wording, operator fleet count and nearby weather observations; drops the 'developing' framing.

  2. Version 111 Aug 2026, 00:48

    First published.

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