Pilot Found Dead After Firefighting Tanker Crashes in Oregon

Rescuers located the aircraft and its pilot on Friday morning in steep terrain.

Firefighters watch as flames and smoke move through a valley in the Forest Ranch area of Butte County as the Park Fire continues to burn near Chico, Calif., on July 26, 2024. Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images

An air tanker that went missing in Oregon while helping fight wildfires was located on July 26, and its pilot was confirmed to have died, according to authorities.

Lisa Clark, a U.S. Bureau of Land Management spokesperson for the Falls Fire, told media outlets that a Grant County Search and Rescue team located the aircraft and pilot on the morning of July 26 in steep terrain where the tanker plane was helping fight the Falls Fire.