Fire-fighting plane in Australia crashes, killing 3

It erupts in a large fireball on impact in a national park; cause of crash not yet known

A New South Wales Rural Fire Service large air tanker dropping fire retardant on the Morton Fire burning in bush land close to homes in the Southern Highlands, some 165km south of Sydney, Australia, on Jan 10. PHOTO: EPA-EFE
A New South Wales Rural Fire Service large air tanker dropping fire retardant on the Morton Fire burning in bush land close to homes in the Southern Highlands, some 165km south of Sydney, Australia, on Jan 10. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

SYDNEY • Three American crew members helping to battle Australia's devastating bush fires were killed yesterday when their water-bombing plane crashed in mountainous terrain during a sortie to tackle another outbreak of the deadly blazes.

The Hercules C-130 plane erupted in a large fireball on impact in a national park in the Snowy Mountains, in New South Wales state, in the early afternoon.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known, but New South Wales Rural Fire Service commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said high winds in the area had made flying the water tankers "very difficult".

He said: "The plane impacted heavily with the ground and initial reports are that there was a large fireball associated with the impact of the plane as it hit the ground. There is no indication at this stage of what has caused the accident."

The plane had been leased by Canadian aerial firefighting company Coulson Aviation, which has a second C-130 Hercules in the field operation that is battling the Australian bush fires.

Coulson grounded its large air tanker fleet following the accident, pending a review to ensure there was no systemic issue like a fuel problem.

The company said it would send a team to the crash site to assist in the emergency operations.

"The accident is reported to be extensive and we are deeply saddened to confirm there were three fatalities," the company said.

The crash takes the death toll from the hundreds of wildfires in Australia to 32 since September. An estimated one billion animals have also perished, while the fires have incinerated 2,500 homes and razed an area larger than South Korea or Portugal.

The authorities said the tanker was flying in the state's Snowy Monaro region, south of the federal capital Canberra. Flight tracking website Flightradar24 showed the flight path for an air tanker used in water-bombing operations suddenly stopping in Peak View, south of Canberra.

According to its flight data, the aircraft departed the Richmond air force base in western Sydney around 12.15pm local time. It dropped off radar just after 2pm.

Peak View is close to a blaze burning out of control in the Wadbilliga National Park, the fire service said. Bush fires also forced the closure of Canberra Airport, with all flights in and out of the country's capital suspended due to approaching flames.

An update posted on Canberra Airport's website listed the carriers which have had flights cancelled, including Singapore Airlines.

Passenger flights were halted around midday local time as two out-of-control blazes burning immediately to the south and west of the airport merged and the combined fire bore down on three nearby suburbs.

Temperatures soared to 40 deg C in Sydney, where a bush fire also broke out in a north-western suburb of Australia's biggest city. Wind gusts had been forecast to reach 90kmh in some areas.

Mr Fitzsimmons said: "One of the big challenges we've got with the increased intensity of these winds is that it is proving very difficult to fly any aircraft to provide any aerial support to the firefighting effort on the ground.

"We are trying to get some of the large air tankers and some of the very large helicopters involved, but it's proving very difficult. It's too dangerous to fly these things."

Heavy rainfall has helped to contain the fires, but an expected return to searing heat and gusting winds yesterday was flagged as a cause for concern as dozens of fires continued to burn.

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on January 24, 2020, with the headline Fire-fighting plane in Australia crashes, killing 3. Subscribe