Aircraft Down on the Butler-II Fire Today

[brushfire21]

This is a Fixed Wing Topic, sorry guys.

 

I was listening to the radio today (webcasting the San Bernardino Scanner traffic, and I was wanting to follow the crews from home here) and I heard an Aircraft Distress call go shortly after 1300hrs, pilot saying he lost an engine. Here is the rest of the story with a pic. The best news is that he walked away after crash landing!!

 

Aircraft was a Single Engine Air Tractor (SEAT).

 

http://rimoftheworld.net/columns/news/firefighting

[Goldy]

This is a Fixed Wing Topic, sorry guys.

 

http://rimoftheworld.net/columns/news/firefighting

 

Roger- as always I have questions. They call this tractor an "air tanker" ? I really dont think so. He had a fuel warning light and then lost power? Is that a polite way of saying he just plain ran out of gas?

I know that field, its just a few blocks from the airport, while I am glad all went well, he must have been low to not make it to the airport. Me thinks there is some 'splaining to do !!

I love the air tractors, fly behind them with gliders, they can land at what seems like 45 knots and a hundred feet of runway....cool to watch them skid in.

 

BTW, the weather has changed down here, may even get rain Thursday so I wouldnt be shining those fire boots just yet!

[brushfire21]

LOL, you may be right on the boot shining. But in years past October/November have been the big months for fires in SoCal. I remember a fire over Xmas a few years back, and just this year some good ones in January/February on the PCH if my memory serves me correctly. Sounds like this fire is starting to get some containment finally, and possibly wrapped up soon if the weather cooperates.

 

As far as the article goes, the author may not know the difference. But the radio callsign for the aircraft was Tanker 492 and maybe that is why it was referenced as a tanker in the article? But I will have to say, it was a chilling moment hearing the pilot call in the emergency engine out. It was a few somber moments for me hearing this go down live.

[arotrhd]

He had a fuel warning light and then lost power? Is that a polite way of saying he just plain ran out of gas?

I know that field, its just a few blocks from the airport, while I am glad all went well, he must have been low to not make it to the airport. Me thinks there is some 'splaining to do !!

 

Don't rush to judgement...let the investigation pan out and get the facts first. For all we know it could have been fuel contamination or fuel connection fitting loosened up. Maybe the dude caught some debris while dropping the load. If it was fuel contamination, what other a/c might be affected? Any wonder why the IC had an immediate air support stand-down for most of the aircraft following the landing? If is turns out the tanks were dry and it was unintentional fuel starvation, ouch...but at least he had some preferable off-site landing options and best of all he walked, especially as L35 is not the most forgiving airport/area to conduct emergency procedures even for those who are very familiar with it.

 

-WATCH FOR THE WIRES-

[Goldy]

I agree, I'll wait for the final report, I just couldnt help but draw some attention to the fact that the story said he had a fuel warning light and then lost power. Big Bear is a very high DA flight environment...probably the highest DA you will find in So Cal. Again, I'm glad it turned out well..

[rotor91]

Copter Chick on her blog(cuz i have that kind of time), said it was an engine failure, and he put down on a dirt road, and walked away. She even gave him a lift in her 350 back to the San Berdoo base.

 

Desiree Horton Blog

 

R91

[avbug]

The airplane was an Air Tractor AT-802, also known as a Type III or Type IV tanker. It's an 800 gallon airplane, and isn't the same as what tows your glider. The Air Tractors on fire are dedicated aircraft that operate under the Single Engine Air Tanker program. It did not experience a fuel light, but a chip light, and executed a forced landing. The aircraft did not run out of fuel, and initial media reports, as usual, were in error.

 

There are more Air Tractors operating as air tankers than any other air tanker type in the country. SEAT platforms are used primarily on BLM fires, and are mostly contracted to the BLM...the public doesn't see nearly as much of them on TV and in the spotlight as multi engine fixed wing tankers, or helicopters. The SEAT's primary mission is initial response, initial attack, and it's best used when based in large numbers in rural places in order to respond and hit fires early. SEATs also do good work on large fires.

 

The AT-802 has a gross weight above 12,500 lbs (16,000 lbs gross), and carries 800 gallons of retardant at 9.6 lbs/gallon. A type rating is not issued for the airplane, but each pilot requires a type rating waiver to operate.

 

The airplane is really an amazing platform, if you ever get to fly one.