Family of a Helicopter Pilot Killed in a California Wildfire Reaches a $15 Million Settlement

Unsurpassed Record of Success in Aviation Law

We have obtained the two highest jury verdicts in U.S. History in helicopter crash trials.

We have obtained the two highest pre-trial settlements in U.S. History, both for a single wrongful death and for a single personal injury.

May 09, 2025

Family of a Helicopter Pilot Killed in a California Wildfire Reaches a $15 Million Settlement

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The family of a helicopter pilot who died when his helicopter crashed in 2020 while fighting a wildfire in Southern California reached a $15 million settlement with the company that maintained the aircraft, their attorneys said Friday.

Michael Fournier was making water drops on Aug. 19, 2020 over hilly, rugged terrain when his bright red Bell UH-1H copter suddenly plunged into a hillside as he was helping battle the Hills Fire burning 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of the small Central Valley town of Coalinga.

Fournier worked for a private Southern California company that contracts with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, and other agencies to provide firefighting aircraft and other services.

“The Fournier family’s lawsuit sought answers and accountability, and this result does just that,” said Andrew Robb, one of the aviation attorneys who filed the lawsuit. Robb said the family would not be making any public comments.

An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board’s concluded that the helicopter crashed because of “a hydraulic system failure.”

Moments before the crash Fournier radioed to air traffic control that he was having trouble with the helicopter’s hydraulics, Robb said.

Fournier was working with Guardian Helicopters, which is based in Fillmore, California and at the time had a contract with Cal Fire to provide emergency services. The settlement was paid by Rotorcraft Support, Inc., the company that maintained the helicopter. A phone message left with the helicopter maintenance company was not immediately returned Friday.

Fournier’s copter went down in a remote, hilly, smoke-filled area that took a Fresno County Sheriff’s Department search and rescue team nearly four hours to reach.

Fourteen team members in five Jeeps traveled for miles through soft dirt under smoke-filled skies, finally abandoning the vehicles to walk the last several hundred yards to the crash site. There, they carefully wrapped the body in an American flag and carried it to one of the vehicles.

Categories:

We'll Fight For the Justice You Deserve

Start With a Free Case Review

First Name
Please enter your first name.
Last Name
Please enter your last name.
Phone
Please enter your phone number.

This isn't a valid phone number.
Email
Please enter your email address.

This isn't a valid email address.
How can we help you?
Please enter a message.
By submitting, you agree to receive text messages from Robb & Robb at the number provided, including those related to your inquiry, follow-ups, and review requests, via automated technology. Consent is not a condition of purchase. Msg & data rates may apply. Msg frequency may vary. Reply STOP to cancel or HELP for assistance. Acceptable Use Policy

Unsurpassed Record of Success

We have secured over $2 billion in verdicts and settlements, becoming aviation’s most influential safety advocate. Our record includes the two highest U.S. helicopter crash jury verdicts—$350 million and $116 million—and we are the only firm to recover $100 million or more for a single aviation death or injury in five separate jurisdictions nationwide.
Family Led, Nationally Recognized

Led by two generations of one family – husband and wife Founding Partners Gary C. Robb and Anita Porte Robb, their son and Partner Andrew C. Robb along with his wife, Partner Brittany Sanders Robb, this law firm is nationally recognized as the leader in aviation litigation. Guided by integrity, courage, and accountability, they have become a moral force, driving modern aviation reform and safer skies nationwide.
Leading Authority in Aviation Law
With decades of focused aviation litigation experience, this firm brings unparalleled knowledge to the most complex cases. Founding Partner Gary C. Robb authored the authoritative text on helicopter law, and the firms’ attorneys are widely regarded as the foremost experts in the field. No law firm is better equipped to navigate the technical, regulatory, and legal challenges that aviation cases is demand.