01-24-2020, 09:59 PM
Thor the Hammer comes down - RIP
Via the Oz:
Bushfires: US heroes came to help, lost in ball of flames as air tanker crashed
Devastated firefighters watched on in horror as a Lockheed C-130 Hercules crewed by three American firefighters erupted in a fire ball after it crashed in the Snowy Mountains during a routine water bombing run in NSW’s south.
Anguished onlookers shared an emotional embrace in the realisation the firefighters had been killed, as the local NSW Rural Fire Service relayed news of the tragedy to Command: “Message this is red … Crashed … It’s just a ball of flames.” The three Americans who had travelled to Australia to save lives in the country’s worst bushfire disaster had lost theirs.
Listen to the distress call here
With visibility poor and conditions treacherous, military personnel helped emergency services reach the crash site at Peak View and confirm the worst — a large air tanker down and no survivors.
Under contract to the NSW RFS from Coulson Aviation in Canada, the C-130 was in its fourth or fifth year in Australia, and the US crew was well known to local firefighters.
Coulson Aviation immediately grounded its other aircraft in Australia as the owners boarded a flight to Sydney to support devastated colleagues of the men.
RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said the crew members were “absolute professionals” who had many friends in the tight-knit firefighting community.
“Our hearts are with all of those … suffering the loss of three remarkable, well-respected crew who have invested so many decades of their life into firefighting and fire management and who are professionals in the aviation sector,” he said.
“The owners of Coulson … are in the process of making contact with the loved ones of the victims.”
He said the C-130 had been operating routinely, travelling from Richmond to the Snowy Monaro for waterbombing activities, when it suddenly went off air just before 1.30pm on Thursday.
“We simply lost contact with the machine and the flight tracker that we use stopped,” Commissioner Fitzsimmons said.
“There is no indication at this stage of what caused the accident.”
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the crash was a reminder that the fire season was far from over, and how every person defending life and property was at risk. “Today again we’ve seen the tragic consequences where three people have lost their lives,” she said.
“It was a company contracted by the RFS to undertake that vital work, and our deepest condolences go to those families affected.”
Coulson’s decision to immediately halt operations in Australia was “absolutely warranted”, Commissioner Fitzsimmons said. “It will have an effect on our aerial capacity (to contain bushfires) but I support them 100 per cent.
“They’re very mindful of the emotional and psychological effect such a tragedy will have on the rest of their workforce.”
At least 80 fires are burning in NSW and half are not contained.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau launched an immediate investigation into the crash with the intention of releasing a preliminary report within 30 days.
A spokesman said a team of transport safety investigators with experience in aircraft operations, maintenance and data recovery had been deployed to the crash site to collect evidence. “ATSB investigators will analyse recorded data, review weather information and interview witnesses,” he said.
The National Transportation Safety Board in the US has also been notified.
MTF...P2
Via the Oz:
Bushfires: US heroes came to help, lost in ball of flames as air tanker crashed
Devastated firefighters watched on in horror as a Lockheed C-130 Hercules crewed by three American firefighters erupted in a fire ball after it crashed in the Snowy Mountains during a routine water bombing run in NSW’s south.
Anguished onlookers shared an emotional embrace in the realisation the firefighters had been killed, as the local NSW Rural Fire Service relayed news of the tragedy to Command: “Message this is red … Crashed … It’s just a ball of flames.” The three Americans who had travelled to Australia to save lives in the country’s worst bushfire disaster had lost theirs.
Listen to the distress call here
With visibility poor and conditions treacherous, military personnel helped emergency services reach the crash site at Peak View and confirm the worst — a large air tanker down and no survivors.
Under contract to the NSW RFS from Coulson Aviation in Canada, the C-130 was in its fourth or fifth year in Australia, and the US crew was well known to local firefighters.
Coulson Aviation immediately grounded its other aircraft in Australia as the owners boarded a flight to Sydney to support devastated colleagues of the men.
RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said the crew members were “absolute professionals” who had many friends in the tight-knit firefighting community.
“Our hearts are with all of those … suffering the loss of three remarkable, well-respected crew who have invested so many decades of their life into firefighting and fire management and who are professionals in the aviation sector,” he said.
“The owners of Coulson … are in the process of making contact with the loved ones of the victims.”
He said the C-130 had been operating routinely, travelling from Richmond to the Snowy Monaro for waterbombing activities, when it suddenly went off air just before 1.30pm on Thursday.
“We simply lost contact with the machine and the flight tracker that we use stopped,” Commissioner Fitzsimmons said.
“There is no indication at this stage of what caused the accident.”
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the crash was a reminder that the fire season was far from over, and how every person defending life and property was at risk. “Today again we’ve seen the tragic consequences where three people have lost their lives,” she said.
“It was a company contracted by the RFS to undertake that vital work, and our deepest condolences go to those families affected.”
Coulson’s decision to immediately halt operations in Australia was “absolutely warranted”, Commissioner Fitzsimmons said. “It will have an effect on our aerial capacity (to contain bushfires) but I support them 100 per cent.
“They’re very mindful of the emotional and psychological effect such a tragedy will have on the rest of their workforce.”
At least 80 fires are burning in NSW and half are not contained.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau launched an immediate investigation into the crash with the intention of releasing a preliminary report within 30 days.
A spokesman said a team of transport safety investigators with experience in aircraft operations, maintenance and data recovery had been deployed to the crash site to collect evidence. “ATSB investigators will analyse recorded data, review weather information and interview witnesses,” he said.
The National Transportation Safety Board in the US has also been notified.
MTF...P2