Two pilots were fatally injured Friday when a Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane was involved in an accident during firefighting operations on the Widemouth 2 Fire in central Utah. The accident occurred around 10:40 a.m. near Richfield while the helicopter was conducting water drops, according to wildfire officials. The FAA said two people were in the aircraft.
Fire Delayed Access to Accident Site
The helicopter was operated by Helicopter Transport Services under an exclusive-use U.S. Forest Service contract. The accident resulted in a fire near the wreckage, and personnel attempting to reach the site encountered steep terrain and active fire conditions. Responders withdrew Friday after conditions prevented continued access. Personnel reached the site on Saturday and confirmed both occupants had been killed.
“It was not an easy choice to move those responders,” Sevier County Sheriff Nathan Curtis told KUTV. “If we had not done that, we would have lost more lives.”
The pilots’ remains were recovered Saturday and transported to the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner.
Pilot Identified
Porterville, California, officials on Monday identified one of the pilots as Miles Elliott, a helicopter and airplane pilot who had served on the Porterville Airport Committee and participated in youth aviation programs.
The second pilot had not been publicly identified as of Monday afternoon.
The FAA and NTSB are investigating the accident. Investigators arrived in Utah by Saturday evening, although active wildfire conditions initially prevented access to the wreckage. The circumstances of the accident remain under investigation.
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