
As federal investigators on Monday, Aug. 7, tried to learn why two helicopters collided over a brush fire in Cabazon, the two Cal Fire firefighters who perished Sunday, along with their pilot, were remembered as mentors and friends.
Riverside County Assistant Chief Josh Bischof, 46, and Capt. Tim Rodriguez, 44, were aboard the Bell 407 helicopter along with a contract pilot, Tony Sousa, 55, above the Broadway fire about 6:45 p.m. when it collided with a Sikorsky S-64 helicopter, better known as a “Skycrane,” which had two people aboard.
The Bell crew, in a spotter helicopter, was guiding other helicopters at the scene. The much larger Skycrane, which drops water or retardant, landed safely. Both helicopters were under contract to work for Cal Fire and were housed at Hemet-Ryan Air Attack Base.
Cal Fire and the Governor’s Office identified the firefighters and the pilot late Monday morning.
“These two men were the absolute best the fire service has ever had,” Silvio Lanzas, a former Cal Fire/Riverside County division chief and Glendale fire chief, wrote in an Instagram post. “Devoted fathers, husbands, leaders, mentors, friends, and absolute warriors on the fireground.
“Josh and I went to Air Attack school together,” Lanzas said. “We grew up with our families camping and vacationing together. An incredible human.
“TRod was a firefighter when I got qualified as an Air Attack and later would become a mentor and a dear friend to my son,” he said. “A consummate professional and as humble as they come. I saw him and referenced him in my speech at my son’s wedding just a few weeks ago.”
Lanzas said that son, Isaiah, flew with both men many times out of Hemet-Ryan.
Bischof was a resident of Menifee, according to a social media post from the city, and served as the battalion chief in that city for more than three years.
Bischof recently had been promoted to assistant chief and was assigned to air operations out of the Sacramento office, although he had been working at Hemet-Ryan to train others on aerial firefighting.
Don Camp, who worked for Cal Fire for 20 years before retiring this year, said Bischof reached out to him when he was promoted to battalion chief and provided constructive criticism.
“The big things that stood out about Josh were his integrity and his character,” said Camp, who described Bischof as an airplane and helicopter “guru.”
“He was unswerving,” Camp said. “Not only did he seek out opportunities to make himself better … but also to make all of us better as a team, whether it was a (new) firefighter working for him at the base or a fellow chief officer.”
The Southern California News Group has reached out to the company that provided the helicopters on contract to Cal Fire for information on the pilot.
For related news, see: 3 killed when two firefighting helicopters collide, one crashes in Cabazon
By midmorning Monday, a pair of National Transportation Safety Board investigators were at the crash site. One of them, Eleazar Nepomuceno, later told reporters their main goal was to find and protect “perishable information” that might offer clues to what led to the crash.
“That includes information that will not exist once the wreckage has been disturbed,” Nepomuceno said. “That includes things like witness statements.”
He said witnesses already being interviewed included Cal Fire firefighters and Riverside County Sheriff’s Department deputies who were on scene when the crash occurred.
Nepomuceno said the investigators would be reviewing the maintenance records of both helicopters and the flying records of both pilots. He said within a day they would also bring out a drone to survey the entire crash site from the air.
Part of the investigation could be determining how the helicopters ended up flying at the same elevation.
Spotter aircraft typically fly above the aircraft they are directing to make water and fire-retardant drops. Spotter aircraft fly clockwise so they can better see the airplane and helicopters, which fly counterclockwise.
But data from the website FlightAware.com show that the Bell spotter plane was lower than the Skycrane just before the collision.
The Bell took off from Hemet-Ryan at 6:34 p.m., followed by the Skycrane three minutes later. The Bell did a brief circle about two-thirds of the way on the 20-mile trip. At 6:41 p.m., the Bell was at an elevation of 4,000 feet and the Skycrane was at 2,931 feet.
At 6:43 p.m., the Bell was at 2,425 feet and the Skycrane was at 4,000 feet. At 6:45.12, the Bell was at 2,425 feet and the Skycrane, two seconds later, was at 3,000 feet. At 6:45.30, the Bell was at 2,400 feet and the Skycrane was at 2,700 feet. What’s unclear is how far apart the helicopters were horizontally.
The Bell crashed at 6:45.46, and the Skycrane landed at 6:45.49.
Robert Katz, a pilot with 42 years of experience, said in an interview Monday that he was puzzled why the two helicopters were so close.
“The smaller helicopter is going to report the location of the drop and then vacate the area. Why is the smaller helicopter at the same altitude as the larger helicopter?” Katz said. “My guess is that there was a breakdown in communication. That is the key to keeping everyone safe.”
Cal Fire Southern Region Chief David Fulcher said that in addition to the helicopters that collided, a spotter airplane, two airplanes making drops and a Cal Fire helicopter were over the scene.
The helicopters had been called to a fire near Broadway and Esperanza avenues in the community east of Banning. It started in a structure around 6 p.m., Fulcher said. That fire was halted at about 3 acres.
The crash, south of the 10 Freeway, happened shortly before 7 p.m. near Apache Trail and Bonita Avenue/Pipeline Road. The resulting fire burned about 4 acres.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said flags at the state Capitol and will be flown at half-staff in honor of the firefighters and pilot.
It is with great sadness that #CALFIRE shares the tragic loss of our employees who perished in a midair collision yesterday evening while fighting the Broadway fire in Riverside County. Our condolences go out to the family and friends of Assistant Chief Josh Bischof, Fire Captain… pic.twitter.com/nJfof734Kz
— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) August 7, 2023
Staff writer Josh Cain contributed to this report.