A fire helicopter crew didn’t follow Cal Fire protocol before crashing into another helicopter, killing three people above a Cabazon wildfire in 2023, according to a report federal officials published Thursday, Sept. 11.

The crew of the Sikorsky S64 “Skycrane” responding to the Broadway fire on Aug. 6, 2023, failed to contact a supervisor before flying above their approved altitude and then descending rapidly into congested airspace, where the helicopter crashed into a Bell 407 spotter helicopter also responding to the fire, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

All three people aboard the Bell died in the crash, including Riverside County Assistant Chief John Bischof, 46, who had 24 years of fire service; Capt. Tim Rodriguez, 44, who had 19 years of fire service and pil

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