SEAT crashes, pilot killed south of John Day on the Malheur

An early report by KOIN-TV indicated crews were searching for a lost airtanker that disappeared late Thursday. The BLM-contracted SEAT went missing while fighting a lightning-started fire near Seneca, Oregon. The Central Oregon Daily News said the pilot was en route to a spot fire near the the Falls Fire and was killed in the crash. The BLM confirmed that the wreckage was found and the pilot’s body recovered; the pilot’s identity has not been released.

The Aviation Safety Network reported that an Air Tractor AT-802A owned by Wakefield Aircraft out of North Dakota crashed near Seneca, with one occupant, unknown injuries, and unknown aircraft damage.

The plane went missing around 7 p.m. while working a lightning start near the Falls Fire. The Grant County Sheriff’s Office and Falls Fire personnel immediately began a search and the Oregon National Guard searched overnight without success. Grant County Search and Rescue on Friday joined the search.  KGW-TV said the SEAT was flying out of Burns, about 45 miles from Seneca via US-395. The Falls Fire’s about 25 miles south of John Day.

Falls Fire 07/23/24 ~ IMT photo
Falls Fire 07/23/24 ~ IMT photo
The Falls Fire was at 141,926 acres and 55 percent containment, according to a KTVB-TV report. On Friday afternoon that was updated to 55 percent contained at 140,422 acres.
Falls Fire 07/24/24 south of John Day, Oregon on the Malheur National Forest.
Falls Fire 07/24/24 south of John Day, Oregon on the Malheur National Forest.
Dozer div on the Falls Fire 07/2024
Dozer div on the Falls Fire 07/2024

KPTV reported that fire managers reported the aircraft missing on a lightning-started fire on the Malheur National Forest. Search crews have been hunting for the plane since Thursday night and will continue Friday.

The fire was human-caused and is under investigation. Investigators ask for the public’s assistance with any tips or information about the start of the Falls Fire on the Malheur. Please email tips to   SM.FS.R6TipHotLine@usda.gov

Threatened property includes 377 homes, 118 commercial buildings, and nearly 700 outbuildings. Resources include 38 crews, 79 engines, 24 dozers, 25 watertenders, plus helicopters and SEATs, for a total of 1560 personnel.

Falls Fire map

The Alaska Complex IMT 1 assumed command of the Falls and Telephone fires at 6:00 am Friday and is in unified command with the Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM). Their thorough update for today is posted online [HERE] but includes no mention of the crash or the search for the missing SEAT. The Harney County Sheriff’s evacuation map is [HERE] and  the Grant County Emergency Management wildfire info page is [HERE].

Strong afternoon winds together with extremely dry fuels increased fire behavior on the Telephone Fire, and several new starts were identified east of the Falls Fire in the Parasol Butte area. Evacuation levels were announced and extended in response to the new starts and the Telephone Fire’s move across FSR 28.

Crews responded along with aerial resources, and structure protection crews mobilized and responded to the area. The Telephone Fire has grown 3,000 acres and moved farther southeast overnight; it’s now about 4 miles north of Hwy 20. Smoky conditions are expected to continue; an inversion layer sits over the fire but may lift by early afternoon. Temperatures have been in the mid-80s.

~ Thanks and a tip of the hardhat to Jeff on this one. 

The wreckage was found and the pilot’s body has been recovered, according to Lisa Clark of BLM. The pilot’s identity and the precise location of where the plane was found was not released

SEAT crashes in Montana reservoir

A pilot on the Horse Gulch Fire in Montana died Wednesday when  her single-engine airtanker (SEAT) crashed into Hauser Lake. Lewis and Clark Co. Sheriff/Coroner Leo Dutton says the 45-year-old pilot Juliana Turchetti was the only person onboard.

Juliana Turchetti, Dauntless Air
Juliana Turchetti, Dauntless Air

Lewis & Clark County Sheriff/Coroner Leo Dutton said Juliana Turchetti was killed when her plane crashed into a mountainside and landed in Hauser Lake. Turchetti was employed by Dauntless Air, a firefighting company that operates a fleet of single-engine airtankers

Originally from Brazil, she was in the U.S. on a visa. KPAX-TV reported that Turchetti leaves behind a 17-year-old son and numerous family members in Brazil. According to agriculture aviation magazine AgAir Update, Turchetti was one of the first women ag pilots in Brazil.

The fire’s been burning on the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest since mid-day Tuesday in dense timber with heavy dead and down fuels; Wednesday included extreme fire behavior pushed by winds, and the fire’s grown to over 1,000 acres — still at zero percent containment. The Northern Rockies Team 2 is in charge; they were moving resources onto the southern flank to protect critical values at risk there.

Hauser Lake
Hauser Lake

The aircraft, a 2013 Air Tractor AT-802F Fire Boss owned by Aero Spray (now Dauntless Air), was contracted by the Forest Service and was flying out of Coeur d’Alene and scooping from Hauser Lake, one of a series of dammed lakes on the Missouri River upstream of Mann Gulch. The Fire Boss crashed into Hauser Lake, near Canyon Ferry Lake 20 miles northeast of Helena, while scooping water for dropping on the Horse Gulch Fire. The pilot was killed and the aircraft was written off. Lewis and Clark County Undersheriff Brent Colbert confirms the pilot’s body was recovered.

Horse Gulch Fire July 9
Horse Gulch Fire July 9

Numerous roads in the area have been closed after firefighters complained that people were trying to get close to the fire for photographs, and the sheriff’s warned residents to either evacuate or stay put, and told others to get out of the fire area.

Two more large scoopers are en route to the fire, along with resources from area VFDs and the Montana DNRC.

KTVH-TV reports that the area from Cave Gulch to Magpie Gulch on the north and south sides of Canyon Ferry Rd. is evacuated. Riverside Campground has been closed and there is a pending order to close the national forest in the area of the fire. Expected weather includes hot, dry and windy conditions with RH of 9-14 percent, and winds of 10-15 mph with gusts of 25 mph.

 

 

SEAT pilot down in New Mexico

The NTSB and other federal officials are looking into a plane crash that occurred Friday near Capitan, New Mexico.  KRQE-TV said the Coastal Airstrike team confirmed the pilot was Ronald “Van” Patton, who was not involved in firefighting on the South Fork Fire or the Salt Fire near Ruidoso but was on a ferry flight between airports.

Patton was an experienced pilot who’d logged more than 14,000 flight hours.

Ronald "Van" Patton
Ronald “Van” Patton

“The Coastal Air Strike team is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our tanker pilot and dear friend, Ronald ‘Van’ Patton, while on a ferry flight Friday, June 21st,” the company said.

Van was a second-generation airman who earned his pilot’s certificate as a teenager. He was also a respected aircraft mechanic and for decades held an inspector authorization (IA), building and maintaining various aircraft. One early build as a teenager was his dad’s RV-4, which — as his friends say — he used to terrorize the skies of the Oregon coast. He worked at Boeing in Portland, building control assemblies for a few years, then gave that up to fly ag planes. He settled in Keizer, Oregon with Industrial Aviation Services,  where he flew for 30 years. He transitioned into aerial firefighting, earning Coastal’s Rookie of the Year award in 2023.

Van was recently checked out in the single-engine scooper aircraft, a longstanding dream for him, and he used those skills this spring in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.  “I got to meet Van this spring in Brainerd,” said Sandie Youngblom. “He was a very kind person and very personable. He helped to hold down the fort here in Minnesota during an unprecedented early spring fire season.”

“I had the greatest honor of working with Van in Fredericksburg, Texas last fire season,” said Cassidy Ince. “His kind and funny personality lit up the base every single day. He will be missed by many.”

Van’s big-hearted and extremely kind personality, along with his ability to make others smile, will never be forgotten. On top of his admirable aviation career, he was a committed family man, always holding his wife and son dear as his first priority.

Questions can be directed to admin@coastalairstrike.com

Top fan
Cassidy Ince

Video of aircraft working the Ross Fire in Idaho

Two Single Engine Air Tankers at the Ross Fire
Two Single Engine Air Tankers at the Ross Fire in Idaho, August, 2022. Still image from Airailimages video.

Fred Johnsen of Airailimages sent us information about a video he shot in Idaho at the Pocatello Airport and at the nearby Ross Fire. The video is below, just after Fred’s description.

“A wildfire burned over 6,300 acres on the Shoshone-Bannock Fort Hall Indian Reservation northeast of Pocatello, Idaho. Visible in the night sky on August 9, 2022, the Ross Fork fire was still active the following day as the Fort Hall Fire Department battled the flames on the ground, assisted by aerial firefighting assets staging out of the Pocatello airport. A number of Fort Hall reservation residents were evacuated to the Shoshone-Bannock hotel while the fire was brought under control. Aircraft fighting the Ross Fork fire included an Erickson MD-87 jet airliner tanker, an RJ85 jet tanker, several turboprop Single Engine Air Tankers (SEATs) and bucket-wielding helicopters. A turbo Commander served as an air attack coordination aircraft over the fire scene.”

Thank you, Fred!

Air tanker crash in Portugal kills pilot

AT-802
File photo. AT-802. Titan Aerial Firefighting photo.

This article was first published on Fire Aviation.

A pilot died Friday in the crash of an air tanker in Northeast Portugal.

In a message on his official Twitter account, Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa said, “It was with great dismay that I became aware of the death of the pilot who operated an aircraft that crashed this afternoon….I send my deepest condolences to family and friends.”

The Air Tractor AT-802AF Fire Boss went down near the town of Torre de Moncorvo after scooping water on the Douro river. The pilot was the only person on board the single engine air tanker that had departed from Viseu-Gonçalves Lobato Airport (VSE/LPVZ). Photos show that the aircraft was severely damaged. Joao Sousa, mayor of the town of Foz Coa where the incident took place, told Lusa news agency the pilot was pronounced dead at the scene.

The aircraft was operated by Titan Aerial Firefighting which has offices in Spain. The company announced on Saturday that the pilot was André Serra, from Agromontiar.

“On behalf of the whole company, friends and colleagues say goodbye to you,” they wrote. “We offer our deepest condolences to the relatives of André, a great professional and better person who has left us too soon. Rest in peace.”

Our sincere condolences go out to the family, friends, and co-workers of Mr. Serra.

Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Gerald.

Single engine air tanker assists firefighters on a wildfire near Denver

Ice on the landing gear of Air Tanker 861
Ice on the landing gear of Air Tanker 861 after dropping water on the Oak Fire, Dec. 27, 2021. Photo by Chief Pilot Chris Doyle.

Monday afternoon December 27 a fire southwest of Denver burned 152 acres and prompted evacuations.

The Oak Fire was reported around 2 p.m. southwest of Columbine, southwest of the C470 highway which was temporarily closed. West Metro Fire said it started near the C470/Kipling intersection west of the Westerly Apartments in an open space area with several trails and heavy foot traffic. The specific cause is still under investigation. The evacuations were cancelled Monday evening.

Oak Fire, on the southwest side of Denver, Dec. 27, 2021
Oak Fire, on the southwest side of Denver, Dec. 27, 2021. Photo by West Metro Fire.

A single engine air tanker from CO Fire Aviation was mobilized from Fort Morgan, Colorado, flown by the company’s Chief Pilot Chris Doyle. The Air Tractor took off at 3:46 p.m. and 20 minutes later landed at Northern Colorado Regional Airport NCRA near Fort Collins to get a load of plain water which took about 10 minutes. It then made the 19-minute flight south to the fire where it quickly sized it up, dropped the water just before sunset, and returned to NCRA.

Air Tanker 861 (N803NZ) drops on the Oak Fire Dec. 27, 2021
Air Tanker 861 (N803NZ) drops on the Oak Fire Dec. 27, 2021. Still image from West Metro Fire video.

Flight path of Air Tanker 861 Oak Fire
Flight path of Air Tanker 861 (N803NZ) while working the Oak Fire Dec. 27, 2021. FlightAware.

The fire was driven by strong winds. Buckley Air Force Base on the east side of Denver recorded 22 to 28 mph out of the south with gusts to 35 while the relative humidity was in the high 20s with the temperature in the high 30s. However it was cooler on the other side of the city at a higher elevation near the fire, judging from the ice seen on the landing gear in the photo above.

Firefighters always get a lot of satisfaction conducting a mobile attack. The videos below show how an engine drives near the edge of the fire while one or two firefighters operate nozzles while walking, sometimes one in front of the engine and another picking up what’s left behind the truck. Or a second engine could followup, making sure all the heat near the edge is extinguished.

Oak Fire, Dec. 28, 2021
Oak Fire, Dec. 28, 2021. Photo by West Metro Fire.

Aerial firefighting program on PBS

Shahn Sederberg, Behind the Wings

A program that aired on the Rocky Mountain Public Broadcasting System looked at fire aviation in the Western US. It featured the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Los Angeles County, Interra (which manages fire data and intelligence), and United Rotorcraft which converts Blackhawks helicopters into water-dropping Firehawks. Most of the 27 minutes is spent talking about helicopters, and they mention that the state of Colorado is going to purchase a Firehawk.

This episode of Wings Over the Rockies  is dedicated to Marc “Thor” Olson, the pilot with CO Fire Aviation who was killed November 17 while on a night-flying mission over the Kruger Rock Fire near Estes Park, Colorado. We see him explaining the use of night vision goggles and fighting fire from the air at night.

Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Tom.

Pilot walks away from air tanker crash in New Brunswick

Air tractor aircraft
This aircraft is similar to the one that was involved in the crash. Photo submitted by Forest Protection Limited.

A single engine air tanker crashed August 11 while working on a wildfire near Mount Carleto in New Brunswick, Canada. The pilot, the only person on board, walked away.

From CBC News, by Jennifer Sweet

A New Brunswick pilot in his 50s is lucky to be alive after the water bomber he was flying crashed into a hillside Wednesday August 11 in remote, mountainous terrain in northern New Brunswick.

“It’s a bit of a miracle,” said Steven Hansen, managing director of Forest Protection Ltd., the Fredericton-based company contracted to help the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development fight forest fires. “It’s the best possible outcome from the worst possible scenario,” he said.

Hansen said the pilot is “very experienced” and had been flying for a few hours Wednesday afternoon dumping water and flame retardant on a wildfire.

According to the provincial government’s latest fire activity report, a fire on Old River Road, between the old Heath Steele mine and Mount Carleton, is still out of control.

The plane had just refueled and reloaded with another 800 gallons at the airport in Miramichi and was heading back to the fire when the crash happened, said Hansen.

“There was an unknown issue with the aircraft,” said Jason Hoyt, a spokesperson for DNRE, and the water tanker, identified by Forest Protection Limited as an Air Tractor AT-802F, crashed into the side of a hill at about 4 p.m. “in heavy woods approximately one kilometer from the site of the fire.”

“It’s dangerous work we do,” said Hansen. The terrain was “complex,” he said, and the fire had created turbulence.

It may not be a huge fire, he said, but it was intense.

The cause of the crash is under investigation. The national Transportation Safety Board said it has sent a team to look into it.

Forest fire fighters were the first people to get to the scene of the crash, said Hansen.

“They found the pilot climbing out of the wreckage,” said Hoyt.

The pilot was upright, walking and talking, said Hansen.

Both men said the pilot was taken to the Chaleur Regional Hospital in Bathurst to be checked over and was released Wednesday night with no major injuries.

Hansen said his company voluntarily grounded its planes following the crash, and is cooperating with the TSB’s investigation.

Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Tom.