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Iron 44 tragedy — former VP of Carson helicopters disputes restitution ordered

Bill GabbertMay 20, 2019November 10, 2020UncategorizedCalifornia, Carson, Iron 44, Iron Complex, Levi Phillips, lodd, Steven Metheny1 Comment

Seven firefighters and two pilots were killed in the 2008 helicopter crash

The former Vice President of Carson Helicopters is disputing a court order to pay $51 million in restitution related to his role in falsifying documents prior to the crash of a helicopter on the Iron 44 Fire (or Iron Complex) on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest near Weaverville, California in 2008. Steve Metheny, the former Vice President of Carson Helicopters, was sentenced to 12 years and 7 months in prison in 2015 but he now claims he was not aware of the requirement to pay restitution.

Below is an excerpt from an article in the Mail Tribune:

[Metheny] says he wouldn’t have pleaded guilty had he known he’d have to pay a restitution of more than $51 million, according to documents filed earlier this month in U.S. District Court in Medford.

Metheny claims that his defense lawyer assured him that he wouldn’t have to pay any damages because by June 2013, Carson’s contract “was canceled and never re-bid” and “the resultant cost and subsequent loss would equal zero dollars,” according to an affidavit Metheny typed from Federal Correctional Institution Lompoc and filed in court May 7.

Metheny claims he was “repeatedly promised” ahead of his sentencing that the loss amount would be “zero dollars.”

Metheny was accused of falsifying performance charts and the weights of helicopters his company had under contract to the U.S. Forest Service for supporting wildland fire operations. As of a result of his fraud, a Carson helicopter crashed while trying to lift off with too much weight from a remote helispot on the Iron 44 Fire in 2008. Nine people were killed, including the pilot-in-command, a U.S. Forest Service check pilot, and seven firefighters. The copilot and three firefighters were seriously injured.

Mr. Metheny went to great lengths after the crash to attempt to conceal the fraud. When he knew that investigators would be examining the company’s operations, he directed other employees to remove weight from other similar helicopters, including taking off a fuel cell and replacing a very heavy battery with an empty shell of a battery. Some of the employees refused to participate in that deception, with one explaining that he was done lying about the helicopter’s weight.

Defense lawyer Steven Myers argued that the helicopter pilot could have avoided the crash by doing a standard maneuver on takeoff, where the pilot hovers and checks his gauges.

Ann Aiken, a federal judge for the United States District Court for the District of Oregon, dismissed that argument, noting her father had flown helicopters in the Korean War, crashing 13 times. “Whether the gauges were right or not, the pilot didn’t have the right information,” Aiken told Metheny.

The Forest Service awarded contracts to Carson, including option years, amounting to over $51,000,000. Carson received $18,831,891.12 prior to the FS canceling the contracts.

Levi Phillips, 45, the former maintenance chief of Carson Helicopters, agreed to cooperate with authorities in the case against Mr. Metheny and pleaded guilty to a single charge of fraud. He was sentenced to 25 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised probation.

More information about the fraud and the sentencing hearing of Metheny and Phillips.

Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Kelly. Typos or errors, report them HERE.

Wildfire in Alberta burns more than 100,000 acres

Bill GabbertMay 19, 2019May 20, 2019UncategorizedAlberta, Chuckegg Creek Fire, High Level12 Comments

The fire is seven miles southwest of High Level, AB

Map of the Chuckegg Creek HWF042 wildfire southwest of High Level, Alberta at 5:18 a.m. CDT May 20, 2019. Click to enlarge.

(UPDATE at 2:39 p.m. MDT May 20, 2019)

Mandatory evacuation order issued for an area near High Level, Alberta, due to the Chuckegg Creek Fire. At 11:40 a.m. May 20 Mackenzie County declared a State of Local Emergency and issued the order for residents living south and southeast of the Town of High Level, Alberta. All evacuees must register at the High Level Arena (10101 105 Ave). Crews will be going door to door to notify affected residents. Manned barricades will be set up on all roads to prevent unauthorized entry into the evacuated areas.

(To see all of the articles on Wildfire Today about the Chuckegg Fire, including the most recent, click here.)

(UPDATED at 11:31 a.m. MDT May 20, 2019)

The Chuckegg Creek Fire southwest of High Level, Alberta continued to spread rapidly to the north Sunday afternoon and into the night, running across and becoming well established north of Highway 58.

The Town of High Creek advised their residents Monday morning:

As of 9:00 a.m. May 20, 2019, the town remains in no immediate danger, but residents are recommended to remain vigilant and be prepared to evacuate if conditions change. The eastern flank of the fire had slow growth over night. The HLFD will begin Sprinkler protection operations today May 20, 2019, in town and at the Tolko mill.

Our very unofficial estimate of the size, based on satellite imagery at 5:18 a.m. May 20, is that the Chuckegg Creek Fire has burned approximately 150,000 acres (60,700 ha). (UPDATE at 11:26 a.m. MDT May 20: Alberta Wildfire said the fire has burned 69,000 ha (170,500 acres).

Strong gusty winds are in the forecast again for Monday, which should produce continued growth of the fire.

Alberta Wildfire has 64 firefighters, heavy equipment, and helicopters and air tankers working to contain the fire. Additional resources have been requested.

(Originally published at 3:44 p.m. MDT May 19, 2019)

Chuckegg Creek Fire Alberta High Level — Chuckegg Creek Fire southwest of High Level, Alberta. Photo by Alberta Wildfire (around noon May 19, 2019).

A very large wildfire in northern Alberta almost doubled in size Sunday due to low humidity and 20 km/h southeast winds gusting to 40. The strong winds are expected to continue until dark Sunday but will become lighter Sunday night through Tuesday.

The fire is approximately seven miles southeast of High Level and is spreading toward the northwest.

The most of the fire is west of Highway 35 and south of Highway 35, but there is active fire east of 35. On Sunday it crossed Highway 58, 17 miles west of High Level.

Satellite photo wildfire High Level, Alberta — Satellite photo of the wildfire southwest of High Level, Alberta at 12:14 p.m. CDT May 19, 2019.

Officials said Sunday that neither the Town of High Level or Norbord Plant are under immediate threat. There was no Evacuation Alert in effect Sunday at noon, but residents were advised to remain vigilant.

map wildfire high level alberta may 19, 2019 — Map of the wildfire southwest of High Level, Alberta at 12:14 p.m. CDT May 19, 2019.

On Sunday morning May 19 Alberta Wildfire reported the fire, named Chuckegg Creek HWF042, was 25,334 ha (62,600 acres). Our very unofficial estimate of the size when it was overflown by a satellite at 12:14 p.m. MDT May 19 is 40,000 ha (99,000 acres). This measurement was based on heat detected by the satellite. Generally a fire can be described as a “megafire” when it reaches 100,000 acres.

The fire is being fought with heavy equipment and 53 firefighters, along with air support from helicopters and air tankers.

Wildfire danger in Alberta, May 19, 2019. By Alberta Wildfire.

Photos from the Dowens 2 Fire in western Oregon

Bill GabbertMay 19, 2019UncategorizedOregon

Dowens 2 Fire Oregon wildfire — Dowens 2 Fire. Oregon Department of Forestry photo by Marcus Kauffman.

Marcus Kauffman, a Public Information Officer with the Oregon Department of Forestry, sent us this excellent photo (above) that he took May 10 on the Dowens 2 Fire about 15 miles south of Eugene, Oregon. We looked for more information about blaze and found more very good photos on one of the ODF’s Facebook pages — those images are below.

The fire started at 4 p.m. on May 10 and burned 76 acres east of Cottage Grove. The ODF led a response that included three helicopters, two dozers, more than 25 structural and wildland engines, and 130 personnel. The early season fire, burning in brush, logging slash and timber, destroyed one home. Rain on May 13 aided firefighters during mopup. It was declared contained on May 14, 2019.

About a quarter of lightning-caused fires that grow large are not reported within first 7 days

Bill GabbertMay 18, 2019May 18, 2019Uncategorizedlightning, research4 Comments

holdover lightning-caused wildfires — (From the research) Locations of lightning-initiated holdover wildfires in the contiguous United States which grew to sizes ≥4 km2 between 2012 and 2015. Map was created using ArcGIS® software by Esri. Basemap is a source of the National Geographic Society and Esri (2019).

Researchers have found that about a quarter of the fires caused by lightning that grow to more than 4 km² (988 acres) are reported more than a week after they are ignited.

A paper published in the Fire Open Access Journal describes how the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) and U.S. Forest Service fire data were used to determine the correlation between lightning strikes and the reported location of lightning-caused wildfires.

The NLDN, which has been used operationally for several decades, consists of 113 sensors across the continental United States and has a reported flash detection efficiency of cloud to ground flashes between 90–95%, with spatial errors that are typically less than 500 meters for the flash data used in the study.

The researchers found, of lightning-caused fires that grew to more than 4 km² (988 acres):

50% reported the same day
71% reported within 3 days
73% reported within 5 days
77% reported within 7 days

Holdover fires that are not reported for days or weeks after the lightning occurs can be problematic for land managers. Shortly after a thunderstorm has left the area, fire detection efforts are often ramped up and may continue in that mode for a few days. Fires that smolder in duff or under snow and suddenly grow can be unexpected. Firefighting resources that may have been staged in anticipation of emerging fires could be released or assigned to active incidents, complicating efforts at quick initial attack with overwhelming force.

Authors of the paper: Christopher J. Schultz, Nicholas J. Nauslar, J. Brent Wachter, Christopher R. Hain, and Jordan R. Bell.

Video found of air tanker takeoff as an engine failed

Bill GabbertMay 17, 2019Uncategorizedair tanker, engine failure, Idaho, MD872 Comments

It occurred at Coeur D’Alene, Idaho in 2018

Air Tanker 101 MD87 Rapid City — Air Tanker 101, an MD87, at Rapid City, December 12, 2017. Photo by Bill Gabbert.

(This article first appeared on Fire Aviation)

On July 30, 2018 an engine on an MD87 air tanker failed while taking off at Coeur D’Alene Airport in Idaho en route to drop retardant on a wildfire. The reports at the time was that it failed after takeoff, but in this video that just came to light filmed by Harold Komm, Jr. it appears that the incident occurred during takeoff while the aircraft was approximately half or two-thirds of the way down the runway. At 0:52 in the video below, smoke or debris can be seen in the vicinity of the tail of the aircraft. Then the engine noise decreases as the takeoff continued. When it finally became airborne dust is kicked up at the end of the runway.

The flight crew deserves high praise for getting the plane into the air and then landing safely. An engine failure at that point is one of the worst times for it to happen.

(The video can also be watched at YouTube)

The aircraft was Air Tanker 101, an MD87 operated by Erickson Aero Air. Mr. Komm said that after takeoff the plane flew out to the designated retardant jettison area about seven miles northeast of the airport so it would not have to land with a full load of retardant.

Seven fires were discovered after the incident within a five-mile radius of the airport. One of the firefighters was injured while suppressing the fires.

Mr. Komm said he just recently found a report of the incident on Fire Aviation and offered to allow us to publish his video. We had to edit the audio to remove some unwanted background noise unrelated to the aircraft, but other than that and adding titles at the beginning and the end we didn’t change the video. He told us, “I had talked to Erickson Aero Air HQ in Oregon to make sure it was ok for me to distribute and the only thing was that I had to forward a copy of the video to the lead mechanic. I got some cool swag from Erickson Aero Air for being in the right place and time doing the video.”

This was not the first time that an engine on an Erickson Aero Air MD87 failed and falling debris caused problems after hitting the ground. On September 13, 2015 debris from an engine landed in a residential area of Fresno, California. One chunk of metal crashed through the rear window of a car, while other shrapnel was found in city streets.

There has been concern since at least 2014 about retardant being ingested into the engines when the MD87 is making a drop. A SAFECOM filed back then considered the possibility after engine surges or intermittent power was a problem for one aircraft after making a drop. Photos were taken of retardant stains on the fuselage caused by retardant flowing over the wing.

The first fix that Erickson Aero Air implemented was in 2014, “a new spade profile that has proved to eliminate this problem by keeping the fluid column much more vertical” the company wrote.

Then in June, 2017 they took a much more radical step. They had an external tank, or pod, fabricated and installed below the retardant tank doors, which lowered the release point by 46 inches, mitigating the problem Kevin McLoughlin, the Director of Air Tanker Operations, said at the time.

On December 12, 2017 I was given a tour of Tanker 101 by the flight crew while it was in Rapid City, and noticed there was evidence of retardant flowing over the top of the wing and flaps.

MD-87 retardant wing engine failure — Tanker 101, an MD87, with evidence of retardant stains on top of the wing and the flaps, December 12, 2017 at Rapid City Airport. Photo by Bill Gabbert.

Five year effort to improve fire shelter fails

Bill GabbertMay 17, 2019May 17, 2019Uncategorizedfire shelter6 Comments

After five years of research an attempt to provide wildland firefighters with a more effective fire shelter has failed. Fire shelters are small foldable pup tent-like fire resistant devices that a wildland firefighter can unfold and climb into if there is no option for escaping from an approaching inferno. Many firefighters have used the devices successfully, but others have been killed inside them.

The catalyst for beginning the effort to improve the shelter had its origin from the Yarnell Hill Fire where 19 firefighters were entrapped and killed on June 30, 2013 in Arizona. They all deployed shelters, but none of them survived, however it is not certain if they were all completely inside the devices when they were overrun by the fire. The temperatures and duration of the heat experienced during that incident exceeded the capabilities of the design, which is still in use today.

During the last five years, the US Forest Service conducted an exhaustive search of materials and designs, working with 23 different entities, including NASA, that produced hundreds of different materials and combinations. Fire shelter materials and designs were evaluated on weight, bulk, durability and toxicity that are critical for determining suitability for use in fire shelters. Suitable materials were tested in a small-scale flame test to determine material strength, durability, flammability, and thermal performance. Materials that showed promise in the small-scale test were then constructed into fire shelters and tested in a full-scale, direct flame test to measure the performance of the overall fire shelter design.

After hundreds of full-scale tests, four prototype designs were selected for wear testing by 60 firefighters during the 2018 fire season.

One prototype was lighter, smaller and performed better than the current shelter, but did not satisfactorily endure production rigors and was eliminated from consideration. One prototype style was tested by line-going firefighters, while two large shelters were carried by equipment operators only.

The prototype designed for line-going firefighters showed a 37-second direct-flame test performance improvement; however, it is nearly one pound heavier and has 1.7 times more volume than the current shelter. The prototype shelter envisioned for equipment operators is more than four times the volume and nearly 1½ pounds heavier.

The researchers were unable to find an alternative that offered less weight/less bulk with similar protection or similar weight and bulk with more protection. Furthermore, past shelter deployments show that the vast majority of firefighters are able to deploy their shelter in a location that is predominantly exposed to only radiant heat. The current shelter performs very well in radiant heat exposure.

The committee that made the decision to recommend continuing to use the existing shelter weighed many facets but emphasized the increased physiological stress of the additional weight, limited storage space left on firefighters’ backs, the limited incremental increase in protection, the firefighter survey that showed a desire for a lighter weight/less bulky shelter, and the trend towards decreased number of annual fire shelter deployments. The results of the 2014 nation-wide firefighter survey was held in high regard. The results of the desire of a new shelter was as follows:

The researchers determined that the current fire shelter continues to provide the most practical amount of protection given the tradeoffs of weight, volume (bulk), durability, and material toxicity.

Slight modifications will be made to the current design to use material more efficiently, as well as updating the fire shelter’s polyvinyl chloride (PVC) bag to ensure a more reliable opening.

Based on these findings the National Wildfire Coordinating Group decided on May 14, 2019 to accept the recommendation from the NWCG Equipment Technology Committee’s recommendation to retain use of the current fire shelter.

Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Tom. Typos or errors, report them HERE.

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