A sad bit of business, for sure.

[Seascamp]

Yesterday we lost three fire fighters near Walker, Ca. This is the next little burg just south of us and across the state line. Our Valley (Carson Valley) is home to the Forrest Service borate bombers so anytime there is a burn we see the bombers coming and going all day long. Yesterday a converted C-130 didn?t come back and the crew was lost. From the video clip, it looked like the C-130 wings just fell off and the rest just went in from low level. I don?t know what happened but I presume metal fatigue and structural failure. The fires out here are usually in canyons and such so those bombers take a heck of a pounding when making their borate runs so maybe that?s the cause of the loss of wings, I don?t know. Those are not Forrest service bombers but are hired contractors. Even so, a loss is a loss. Fighting the same fire were the Pickle Meadow Marines but the fire was so radical and moving so fast that wiser minds prevailed and the Marines were pulled out. Good thing I thinking. I?ve never been a fan of using military people in direct roles when fighting a Sierra wild fire. Those fires are just too unpredictable and fast to work through a chain of command when haul buns time comes.

I remember the C-130s from VN war days but never thought I would know of one coming apart while trying to unload some borate. Those are tough birds. Sad story.

Bill


:( :(

[Sgt_Tropo]

I heard the stiory and saw the video on the morning news show today. What a sight. The wings literally sheered of at the fuselage, just as the pilot dumped his load and began the pullout. The crew never knew what happened and never had a chance of surviving.
My prayers go out to their families and fellow fire-fighter friends. I also heard the remaining borate bombers were all grounded until the cause of the crash could be determined and the planes checked out. I hope and pray for a heavy downpour of rain in Colorado ! :(

[Keith_Hixson]

Saw pictures also. They didn't have a chance. It seems like when they dropped the load that somehow it cause some unusual structural flexing. I'm sure it was quick and they didn't suffer. But our prayers go out to the family.

Here in Ellensburg and Yakima area we lost three young forrest service firefighters last year. Fire fighting is dangerous work, whether in the city or in the hills.

Keith

[sfc_darrel]

We didn't know those firefighters that died from Yakima but our kids did and friends fought fires with them.

It is still a news story on the Yakima Herald Republic website.
http://www.yakima-herald.com/newsfeatures/thirtymile/main.html

One daughter is a dispatcher for firefighters and her spouse is a firefighter now working in Colorado on the fires there.

[39mto39g]

today, A c-130 that the wings fell off, thats got to be a new one.
Firefighting is dangerous no matter where you are.
Ron