Firefighter’s death caused by retardant drop from 747
SACRAMENTO (AP) — A firefighter battling the largest wildfire in California history was killed last month when thousands of gallons of flame-suppressing liquid were dropped from an aircraft flying barely above the treetops because spotters mistakenly sent it on a route too close to the ground, according to state investigation findings released Friday
The pilot and a supervisor flying ahead in a small guide plane led the giant modified Boeing 747 nearly into the trees on Aug. 13 because the pilots failed to recognize that there was a hill in the flight path, according to the Green Sheet report by the state’s firefighting agency.
Because of the near ground-level release, the retardant struck with such force it uprooted an 87foot (27-meter) tree that fell on Matthew Burchett, a 42-year-old battalion chief from Utah helping with the Mendocino Complex Fire north of San Francisco.
Another large tree was snapped by the force of nearly 20,000 gallons (75,700 liters) of liquid and three firefighters were injured, one seriously.
Global SuperTanker Services LLC, which operated the 747, said in a statement that it thought the area was clear of firefighters and “acted within procedural and operational parameters.”
Two supervisors — one in the air and one on the ground — potentially face discipline or loss of their current positions because of multiple compounding mistakes, said Cliff Allen, president of the union representing California’s wildland firefighters.
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Scott McLean said there are ongoing internal investigations into what went wrong.
“We definitely don’t want this to ever happen again,” McLean said.
The 747 was flying only 100 feet above the treetops, at least 100 feet too low, officials said. The goal is to fly high enough for the retardant to disperse and fall like rain, but at such a low level they said the slurry would have hit the trees at nearly the same speed as the aircraft — more than 160 mph.
The guide pilot “made a ‘show me’ run” for the 747 pilot over the intended path for the retardant drop, and marked the path for the jet with a smoke trail, according to the report.
“Obscured by heavy vegetation and unknown to the (747) pilot, a rise in elevation occurred along the flight path.” The ground sloped up about 170 feet in the middle of what otherwise was a flat area, according to the report.