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Two AirTanker incidents today....not good news

Daveroo

Daveroo

Members +
Gents,
Neptune lost Tanker 11 today. Details are just coming in, and I'm reluctant to divulge names because we have no way to make sure who was on board. We think both pilots perished. We don't think any former AeroUnion people were involved. However, this is all preliminary info. and should be treated with some discretion, due to our respect for the fate of our friends and colleagues and their families.
I think they were working a fire near Cedar City, and were dropping retardant at the time of impact with a ridge line. Even that info. is not verified. Be patient, more will be known over the next few days.
Also, on a less severe note, Minden had heavy damage to Tanker 55 when they had to land with only one main gear down. Both pilots got out o.k., but there was extensive damage to T-55. This is a sad day for many.....
Norm Cook

(this was his first email to me)....They are still at McClellan and I'm working with some investers that want form a new company and put them back to work fighting fire. Did you know that Neptune's Tanker 11 slamed into a ridgeline today in Utah. Both pilots perished.
Norm


he is refering to the areo union P3 airtankers at McClelland
 
Hey All,

What is truly amazing is the that the loss of those two aircraft represents the loss of almost 20% of the entire USFS large air tanker fleet the USA has for the lower 48 states. Only 11 tankers were under exclusive use contracts and now only 9 to deal with all forest fires incidents across the lower 48. Just to give you a sense of comparison there were over 40 air tankers a decade ago. With only 9 planes the next 4 or 5 months are going to be very interesting. For comparison sake British Columbia alone has over 15 tankers.

See WildfireToday for more.

-Ed-
 
There is a rumor that Tanker 911, a DC-10 operated by 10 Tanker Air Carrier is being brought on contract, but at 3:36 p.m. MT, June 4, we talked with Rick Hatton, the President of the Company, and he has not been notified of this development. He said he also heard the rumor, and was hoping that my call was, instead of me, a contracting officer with the USFS. The DC-10 carries 11,600 gallons of retardant, five times more than a P2V and four times more than a BAe-146.
Jennifer Jones, a spokesperson for the USFS in Boise told us that they have not hired a DC-10, but they are bringing on a CV 580 that is on contract with the state of Alaska, and they are exploring possibilities of bringing on some Type 1 helicopters early, but as far as she knows that has not happened yet.
The US Forest Service has shown no interest recently in awarding exclusive use contracts to the Very Large Air Tankers (VLAT) such as the DC-10, 747, or Martin Mars, and has only offered Call When Needed contracts. It is difficult or impossible to maintain any large aircraft and a very specialized crew when there is no assurance that it will be used. The USFS is missing the boat if they do not utilize these assets, period, but especially under these conditions.
 
neptune aviation has some shots and video of the BAe-146 tanker(s) that seem ready to go...lets hope they are activated...if they work,they work,,,something is needed
 
I've talked to Ron before. He was also a fan of my Facebook page. :( Current word is they are believed to have struck a tree during their run.

One of my shots of Tanker 11 on a better day, working the Sheep Fire in Wrightwood.


Blue Skies Todd and Ron by airattackimages.com, on Flickr

And during the Morris Fire...


Tanker 11 Morris Fire by airattackimages.com, on Flickr


Word from one of my Minden friends is that T-55 should be an easy fix. The only question in my mind is what the USFS will do next. They have a history of grounding entire fleets of aircraft in their typical knee-jerk fashion.
 
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