The National Transportation Safety Board has released its final report on a mid-air collision of two firefighting helicopters over Cabazon, California, that killed two firefighters and a pilot in 2023.
The crash of the two on-duty contracted Cal Fire helicopters, a Sikorsky S-64E Skycrane and a Bell 407 – a derivative of a LongRanger, resulted in the deaths of Cal Fire Assistant Chief Josh Bischof, 46, of Menifee, Cal Fire Capt. Timothy D. Rodriguez Jr., 44, of San Jacinto and contract pilot Tony Sousa, 55, of Red Bluff.
The Board’s final report determined that the crash’s cause was due to the Skycrane flight crew’s decision to fly at an altitude of 4,000 feet, which was a dangerous and unapproved altitude for the craft.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: NTSB releases initial report on Cabazon mid-air
“The Skycrane flight crew’s decision to enter the Fire Traffic Area’s 7-nm NOCOM ring at an altitude significantly above their maximum cleared altitude, which resulted in their need for an aggressive descent into congested airspace and subsequent failure to see and avoid the Bell 407,” the Board’s findings said.
The collision caused the Bell 407 to break apart and crash, killing all three people inside. The Skycrane was damaged in the collision, but it safely landed.
Both helicopters were part of the late afternoon initial attack response to the Broadway Fire west of Palm Springs. Both aircraft took off from nearby Hemet, 11 miles southwest of the fire, with the Bell 407 airborne approximately three minutes ahead of the Skycrane. The two helicopters flew different routes around mountainous terrain toward the fire, and ADS-B data showed both helicopters on a converging flight path until the time of collision west of the fire.