Two firefighters and a contract pilot were killed in a midair helicopter collision during operations at a wildfire in California.
According to the U.S. Fire Administration notification, on Sunday, August 6, 2023, two firefighting helicopters, a Sikorsky S-64E and a Bell 407, collided in Cabazon, California, while battling the Broadway Wildland Fire, a vegetation fire sparked by a nearby structure fire. While the Sikorsky S-64E helicopter was able to land safely, the Bell 407 crashed. All three occupants of this helicopter—CAL Fire Assistant Chief Josh Bischof, Captain Timothy “Tim” Rodriguez, and Contract Pilot Tony Sousa—were killed.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.
