Firefighting Tracker down in France
Mon Aug 22, 2005 7:52 am
Sadly 2 lives lost...
From:
http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/print ... id=3647791
Two dead in plane crash
From correspondents in Lyon
August 21, 2005
A FIREFIGHTING aircraft crashed today as it was tackling a blaze in south-eastern France, killing the two crew members on board, French officials said.
The accident was the latest of several this year involving aircraft battling forest fires in France.
The Grumman Tracker aircraft went down "on the edge of the fire" in the Ardeche
region, where 15 hectares of forest were burning this morning, fire officials said.
The victims were a 43-year-old trainee pilot and his 45-year-old instructor.
Civil security spokesman Eric Soupra said it was not yet known which of the two men had been
at the plane's controls.
Ardeche regional official Patrick Duprat said two Trackers were fighting the flames, backing
up 150 firemen on the ground, along with two Canadair amphibian water bombers and the latest
addition to the fleet, a Canadian-built Dash-8.
On August 1, the pilot and co-pilot of a Canadair plane died when the aircraft crashed on
the French Mediterranean island of Corsica. On July 19, a Tracker crashed in the south-eastern
Var region but the pilot escaped unhurt.
On August 14 a Dutch pilot for a private company died when his small plane hired by local
authorities crashed into the sea just after dropping two loads of fire-retardant chemicals on a
fire at an unauthorised gypsy camp near Serignan.
The twin-engined Tracker, a Canadian-developed firefighting version of a US Navy
carrier-borne anti-submarine aircraft, has been in service with the French civil defence for
more than 20 years, according to the website of the squadron based at Marignane, near
Marseille.
Although re-engined, the basic airframes, either Canadian or US-built, are about 50 years
old, according to the site.
AFP
This report was published at www.dailytelegraph.com.au
From:
http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/print ... id=3647791
Two dead in plane crash
From correspondents in Lyon
August 21, 2005
A FIREFIGHTING aircraft crashed today as it was tackling a blaze in south-eastern France, killing the two crew members on board, French officials said.
The accident was the latest of several this year involving aircraft battling forest fires in France.
The Grumman Tracker aircraft went down "on the edge of the fire" in the Ardeche
region, where 15 hectares of forest were burning this morning, fire officials said.
The victims were a 43-year-old trainee pilot and his 45-year-old instructor.
Civil security spokesman Eric Soupra said it was not yet known which of the two men had been
at the plane's controls.
Ardeche regional official Patrick Duprat said two Trackers were fighting the flames, backing
up 150 firemen on the ground, along with two Canadair amphibian water bombers and the latest
addition to the fleet, a Canadian-built Dash-8.
On August 1, the pilot and co-pilot of a Canadair plane died when the aircraft crashed on
the French Mediterranean island of Corsica. On July 19, a Tracker crashed in the south-eastern
Var region but the pilot escaped unhurt.
On August 14 a Dutch pilot for a private company died when his small plane hired by local
authorities crashed into the sea just after dropping two loads of fire-retardant chemicals on a
fire at an unauthorised gypsy camp near Serignan.
The twin-engined Tracker, a Canadian-developed firefighting version of a US Navy
carrier-borne anti-submarine aircraft, has been in service with the French civil defence for
more than 20 years, according to the website of the squadron based at Marignane, near
Marseille.
Although re-engined, the basic airframes, either Canadian or US-built, are about 50 years
old, according to the site.
AFP
This report was published at www.dailytelegraph.com.au
Mon Aug 22, 2005 9:02 am
That's terribly sad... those guys have had some bad luck in a veru short space of time.... 4 aircraft in a month!!!
I did see some remarkable (and horrific) pictures of the Canadair 415 crashing... the whole tail section separated from the aircraft. Yet another in-flight breakup. Seems to me that everyone needs to do a little more fatigue testing, or at least to adjust the fatigue life on these airframes for firefighting purposes.
Richard
I did see some remarkable (and horrific) pictures of the Canadair 415 crashing... the whole tail section separated from the aircraft. Yet another in-flight breakup. Seems to me that everyone needs to do a little more fatigue testing, or at least to adjust the fatigue life on these airframes for firefighting purposes.
Richard
Wed Aug 24, 2005 3:43 pm
The Hercules which have broken up have largely been A models for which
there are repair schemes. They are old airframes and unfortunately the economics of the job dictate older aircraft. The Canadair 415's are either modified piston machines or new build. I believe Canadair take their job
very seriously - very sad but it's a dangerous business.
there are repair schemes. They are old airframes and unfortunately the economics of the job dictate older aircraft. The Canadair 415's are either modified piston machines or new build. I believe Canadair take their job
very seriously - very sad but it's a dangerous business.
Wed Aug 24, 2005 4:03 pm
I know the word about the 415 accident is that it was caused by flutter. A control not properly rigged will cause flutter and that in turn can take the tail off...
It's very sad to see the Tracker go down too...
It's very sad to see the Tracker go down too...