Owl Joins FFs in Chopper Cockpit on CA Wildfire Water Drops

Firefighters performing helicopter water drops over a California wildfire earlier this week had some unexpected company in the cockpit.

An owl joined crew members for Sky Aviation, a Wyoming-based charter company helping to battle wildfires in Fresno and Madera counties, KABC-TV reports. While doing a run over the Creek Fire, pilot Dan Alpiner was surprised to find an owl catching a free ride in his helicopter cockpit.

"It’s odd to have an owl enter an aircraft," he wrote in a social media post that included a photo of feathery freeloader. "It’s unheard of to have it enter while the helo is in-flight. It’s an unexplainable and magical miracle for it to stay with you for several water drops, then leave just as it arrived—safe and unannounced."

Alpiner told KABC that he was initially worried that the owl would begin fluttering about inside the cockpit. But the bird was a model passenger, briefly hanging out before wisely flying away without incident.