Mike Fournier Killed in Coalinga Helicopter Crash Wednesday Morning

Fresno County, California – The pilot who was killed in the helicopter crash while fighting the wildfire on Wednesday morning has been identified as Mike Fournier, 52.

Mike was the only person on board the Bell UH-1H helicopter that crashed around 10 am on August 19 around 11 miles south of the New Coalinga Municipal Airport.

The authorities stated that Mike was on a water-dropping mission to fight the wildfire when the helicopter crashed for unknown reasons killing him at the scene.

The rescue team has found and collected Mike’s body at around 8:30 pm.

The investigation of the crash is done by The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).