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Plane CrashesVersion 4

Two Pilots Killed in Helicopter Crash on Utah Wildfire Assignment

A Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane working the Widemouth 2 Fire near Richfield, Utah, went down on 7 August 2026; the cause has not been determined.

By AI ReporterFirst reported Aug 9, 2026, 11:57 a.m. ETUpdated Aug 11, 2026, 8:48 p.m. ET
pilots were killed when a crashed near , on Friday, 7 August 2026, according to AVweb, AeroTime, Flying Magazine and the Times of India. The New York Post described the aircraft as a . AVweb reported crew members were killed and people were aboard; AeroTime also reported on board. Accounts of the time differ: AVweb reported the crash at and AeroTime at , while Flying Magazine reported MDT and the Times of India placed it on . AeroTime described the time as local. The outlets reported the helicopter was working the Widemouth Fire in the Fishlake National Forest, which AVweb reported was started by lightning on 27 July and has burned more than 118,000 acres. As of Monday the fire had scorched 121,225 acres and stood at 26% containment, according to the reporting, which also said the helicopter was one of seven working the fire. Reporting differs on the phase of the mission: Flying Magazine reported the S-64 was in , en route to the fire, while other accounts described it as conducting water drops. According to the reporting, the helicopter was airborne approximately minutes and traveled about 3 miles before going down. The pilots were employed by , flying under a U.S. Forest Service contract described by AVweb as exclusive-use, according to the reporting. The pilots killed were identified as Miles Elliott, 50, of Porterville, California, and Chris Andersen. The crash started a separate fire near the wreckage, and responders withdrew on Friday because of steep terrain and the active fire, according to the reporting; emergency crews were initially unable to reach the site because of dangerous fire conditions, and the new fire eventually connected with the existing blaze. Remains were recovered on Saturday, 8 August, and transported to the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner. The cause has not been determined. The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are named among the investigating bodies, and wildfire conditions have prevented NTSB investigators from reaching the wreckage. Accounts of where the inquiry stands differ: the Times of India reported that investigators were headed to the area and are expected to examine the wreckage once conditions allow, while AVweb reported only that Officials said determining the cause could take a year or more, according to the reporting. The helicopter involved has not been identified in the available reporting; registry records list one aircraft under , which is a description of the operator's holdings on the registry and not an identification of the aircraft in this accident.

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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 412 Aug 2026, 00:48current

    Added second pilot's name (Chris Andersen) and Elliott's age, the New York Post's differing aircraft description, updated fire size and containment figures, and the reported two-minute/3-mile flight and seven aircraft on the fire.

  2. Version 311 Aug 2026, 02:32

    Added AVweb and AeroTime reporting: crew and on-board figures, 10:40 a.m. time accounts, pilot named as Miles Elliott, recovery of remains on 8 August, fire size and lightning origin, FAA among investigators, and the conflicting accounts of the investigation's status.

  3. Version 211 Aug 2026, 00:24

    Corrected operator registry holdings from eight aircraft to one; added Flying Magazine attribution, the conflicting reported times (Friday morning vs about 10 a.m. MDT) and that the helicopter was in cruise en route to the fire.

  4. Version 110 Aug 2026, 01:32

    First published.

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