Thread: Reports of a large air tanker crash in NSW

Thanks, I had read that elsewhere but good to see Govts.are getting off their arses to take all this seriously. There is hope for the future yet.

The ADF has been tasked with checking the fuel quality.


Hercules and crew lost in bushfire fight - CONTACT magazine

Originally Posted by 4bee

Going by Coulson's website some converted DC10's are going to be forthcoming to an Airport near you, shortly. Adelaide is down for one off.

Not before bloody time eh? I guess it will based at RAAF Edinburgh. Makes sense. I doubt the CFS 'dromes would be adequate.

As it happens the DC10 was the very first Wide Body I had stepped inside of with UTA in 1977. Perfume in the A/C ducts was lovely & typically French. Until then it was B727s everywhere from Adelaide.

Ah Happy days.

There will be 2 DC10's at Richmond, 1 at Canberra and 2 MD87's, one for Adelaide and 1 for Perth

Originally Posted by 4bee

One can't help but wonder that in that country they suddenly found themselves enclosed by terrain at a very low altitude, pulled the power off & did a tight turn at low airspeed to get out of a re-entrant, stalled & crashed?

Obviously my thoughts only.

Are you a pilot 4bee?

Originally Posted by ramblingboy42

Are you a pilot 4bee?

Nope, I haven't got the brains or reflexes for that. Just a general interest is all, like many here & following on from a Late uncle who was a Training Captain with Ansett/ANA back in the DC3 ---DC4 & 6 & 6B---- Electra---B727 days & in WW2 he was with the 'Directorate of Air Transport' dropping supplies into New Guinea.

True to image he also drove a Green MG Roadster.

Ed. BTW, the nearest I have got to "flying" was in a B737 Simulator in Adelaide for a Birthday present a couple of years ago. Was quite good although I buggered up the landing in Adelaide & went into the grass.

HJ & Unc. would not have been impressed.

Slowly more information is coming out - this morning the RFS Commissioner said that the C130 was tasked for the Adaminaby fire but when it got there conditions were no good so aborted and the aircraft went to its alternative at Peak View (explains the easterly track) - this alternative also explains the decrease in speed and height over Peak View as it was going in for its run - eye witnesses said it dropped its retardant (but has not been confirmed in media briefings) and something happened either as part of that process or just after it.

Possibly in the poor visibility hit rising ground like this near miss [video deleted owing to language]

The other factor possible is wind shear - winds up to 100km/h were reported in the area in one news item.

I would not be happy flying anywhere near that low in that sort of wind, forget about the fire! Had one occasion in PNG when I was making a precautionary landing at an airstrip where the windsock had blown away, and my first attempt was downwind - scary, but I had to get down, the weather had closed in.

I was sent a video that is alleged to be of the last 30 seconds or so of flight. I'm sceptical of it's veracity, but looking at the flightpath it appears there is either some discontinuity or 'editing'. There seems to be a sudden, unexplained loss of altitude between the time aircraft is in or behind the smoke between it and the person shooting the video, and the fireball, which appears to be well below the projected flightpath.

The only explanation I can think of is a stall or windshear (if the video is authentic).