Reports of a large air tanker crash in NSW

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Originally Posted by 101RRS

and how do you know it was not tasked to do that - lets wait and see.

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because it is being used inappropriately in australia.

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Originally Posted by DiscoMick

Tragic situation. Apparently fire crews saw it go down and do not expect survivors.

Meanwhile a fire near the Canberra Airport is out of control and has burned into an industrial estate, where toxic fumes are being released from a burning industrial recycling plant. Several government departments, including Home Affairs, are near the airport.

Now 80 fires in NSW, fanned by high winds. It just keeps getting worse.

Australia fires live: Canberra airport closed, reports of air tanker crash in NSW bushfires – latest updates

Australia fires live: Canberra airport closed, reports of air tanker crash in NSW bushfires – latest updates | Australia news | The Guardian

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You can monitor the voice coms via Broadcastify just click on the ACT radio button. Sounds pretty frantic in Canberra. We have two new fires here in the Hawkesbury.

Just an observation, today most of the aerial assets do not have their transponders enabled so you can track via Flightradar24 which is unusual

confirmed by premier that there are three dead in crash

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Originally Posted by travelrover

Just an observation, today most of the aerial assets do not have their transponders enabled so you can track via Flightradar24 which is unusual

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??? Why would they do that?

Wouldn't it be safer for everyone if they knew exactly where all the approx 70 or 80 aircraft were, especially in smoke & Low Viz conditions? Even RADAR relies on Transponders for ID not just location on a screen.

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Originally Posted by 4bee

??? Why would they do that?

Wouldn't it be safer for everyone if they knew exactly where all the approx 70 or 80 aircraft were, especially in smoke & Low Viz conditions? Even RADAR relies on Transponders for ID not just location on a screen.

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Am sure they track them by other means.
We live in an air force low flying zone and most of the time the military aircraft can not be tracked by Flightradar24 but some days you can!

Three US crew dead in 'routine' water bombing.

Three dead after Large Air Tanker crashes while fighting bushfires in southern NSW
Three dead after Large Air Tanker crashes while fighting bushfires in southern NSW - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

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Originally Posted by travelrover

Am sure they track them by other means.
We live in an air force low flying zone and most of the time the military aircraft can not be tracked by Flightradar24 but some days you can!

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That could be a Security matter & I have tried to ID known Govt. VIP flights in Adelaide but they don't usually show up especially once on the ground & parked while other commercial flights do. I understood ADS-B was the way to go these days for tracking.

Yes military use different transponders and this particular aircraft has flown over our place most days in the past few months as we are 12km north of RAAF Richmond where many of these water bombers are based.

According to the news tonight the aircraft crashed at Peak View which is about 50km east of the fire front - the track they displayed would indicate that the aircraft had been over the fire front and was heading east when it crashed.

No other information given so still a bit early to speculate but they did say it it was on fire as it came down.