Fatal Firefighting Helicopter Crash Under Investigation: NTSB

CABAZON, CA — The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating Sunday's midair collision that killed three people on board two firefighting helicopters in Cabazon, killing three people.

National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Eleazar Nepomuceno held a news briefing in Cabazon late Monday afternoon. He said a team consisting of two NTSB investigators, a Federal Aviation Administration representative, and personnel from the helicopter manufacturers, Bell and Sikorsky, were gathering preliminary information on the midair collision.

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"(The helicopters) were on a convergence flight, and they impacted," Nepomuceno said. "Our plan is to document the wreckage before it is relocated to (a secure hangar) in Arizona."

A "drone team," using remotely piloted unmanned aerial vehicles, was scheduled to work through Tuesday to survey the crash site.

Nepomuceno emphasized that the immediate objective is to procure "perishable" evidence that will vanish once the wreckage is removed and the crash site is cleaned up.

The helicopters were involved in firefighting operations near Cabazon when the Bell 407 and Sikorsky S-64E collided while conducting operations connected with the "Broadway Fire." The men killed were identified Monday as Assistant Chief Josh Bischof, Fire Capt. Tim Rodriguez and pilot Tony Sousa.

Federal investigators encourage anyone with information to contact them at witness@ntsb.gov.

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