Airtanker Pilot Killed in Crash Fighting Yosemite Park
Wildfire
S-2T Tracker modifisert av CalFire
The pilot of a single-person airtanker was killed
Tuesday afternoon when his plane crashed while fighting a rapidly spreading
northern California wildfire, state fire officials said. Crews found the plane
after it disappeared while flying over the Dog Rock Fire near the Arch Rock in
Yosemite National Park. Fire officials were not releasing the pilot's name until
all immediate family members could be notified.
"This crash underscores
just how inherently dangerous wildland firefighting is, and the job is further
compounded this year by extreme fire conditions," said CalFire Director Ken
Pimlott. "We have secured the crash site and will be cooperating with the NTSB
on their investigation."
The S-2T tanker went down about 4:26 p.m. (7:26
p.m. ET), less than two hours after the fire started. It rapidly grew to 130
acres in just a couple of hours, forcing the evacuation of about 60 homes in the
nearby community of Foresta, CalFire said. El Portal Road, also known as State
Highway 140, was closed and wasn't expected to reopen any time soon, CalFire
said.
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California grounds air tankers after fatal crash; officials say other
aircraft can fill gap
SACRAMENTO, Calif.(AP) - California's fleet of 22 air tankers was grounded Wednesday after one of the planes crashed while battling a wildfire in Yosemite National Park, killing the pilot.
A National Park Service helicopter and air tankers from the U.S. Forest Service were filling the gap and assisting firefighters tackling the blaze that prompted the evacuation of 60 homes in the community of Foresta, park spokeswoman Kari Cobb said.
It was not clear how long CalFire's grounding of the S-2T airplanes will last as the agency checks the safety of the aircraft and its pilots, CalFire spokeswoman Alyssa Smith said.
The tankers are part of a CalFire fleet that includes 11 UH-1H Super Huey helicopters and 14 OV-10A planes used to guide the other firefighting aircraft.
The tankers, however, are the backbone of the firefighting fleet and can each carry 1,200 gallons of fire retardant.
"These are our initial attack aircraft," department spokeswoman Lynne Tolmachoff said.
The crash occurred on Tuesday as four California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection aircraft, including three tankers, were fighting the blaze as it climbed a steep canyon wall north of the Merced River, Tolmachoff said.
One of the planes hit the canyon wall and disintegrated, spilling pieces of the twin-engine aircraft onto State Highway 140.
SACRAMENTO, Calif.(AP) - California's fleet of 22 air tankers was grounded Wednesday after one of the planes crashed while battling a wildfire in Yosemite National Park, killing the pilot.
A National Park Service helicopter and air tankers from the U.S. Forest Service were filling the gap and assisting firefighters tackling the blaze that prompted the evacuation of 60 homes in the community of Foresta, park spokeswoman Kari Cobb said.
It was not clear how long CalFire's grounding of the S-2T airplanes will last as the agency checks the safety of the aircraft and its pilots, CalFire spokeswoman Alyssa Smith said.
The tankers are part of a CalFire fleet that includes 11 UH-1H Super Huey helicopters and 14 OV-10A planes used to guide the other firefighting aircraft.
The tankers, however, are the backbone of the firefighting fleet and can each carry 1,200 gallons of fire retardant.
"These are our initial attack aircraft," department spokeswoman Lynne Tolmachoff said.
The crash occurred on Tuesday as four California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection aircraft, including three tankers, were fighting the blaze as it climbed a steep canyon wall north of the Merced River, Tolmachoff said.
One of the planes hit the canyon wall and disintegrated, spilling pieces of the twin-engine aircraft onto State Highway 140.
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