Boing 737 Crash on Australian Fire

[G~Man]

Both pilots walked away:

.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-07/ ... /101939554

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/2-p ... a-96942397

PERTH, Australia -- Two pilots walked away with minor injuries after a Boeing 737 jet converted for firefighting crashed in Australia, officials said Tuesday.

The twin-engine tanker owned by Canadian-based Coulson Aviation crashed in Fitzgerald River National Park in southern Western Australia state while fighting wildfires late Monday.

Both pilots received only minor injuries even though the plane was engulfed in flames and smoke upon impact, Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson said.

“It’s nothing short of miraculous that they were able to walk away from that plane,” Dawson told reporters.

The men, believed to be Canadian citizens, were released from a hospital on Tuesday, Australian Associated Press reported.

Three American aviators died when a C-130 Hercules tanker, a four-propeller plane also owned by Coulson Aviation, crashed in the east coast state of New South Wales while fighting wildfires in January 2020.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau, the nation’s crash investigator, said Monday's crash was the first serious accident involving a Boeing 737 in Australia.

The plane crashed shortly after dumping its load of water with additives in turbulent conditions. Coulson Aviation is sending executives to Sydney.

Crash investigator Angus Mitchell said it was too early to suggest any link between the two Coulson Aviation crashes or wider implications for Boeing 737 passenger aircraft.

“This is fairly common that air tankers are converted from other uses,” Mitchell said.

[TheGreenAnger]

Coulson have had a rough time in the air tanker firefighting business in Australia. Here is some comment on the final report of the C-130 they lost on Jan 23 2020 by Juan Brown. Good general introduction to the some of the basics in using aerial assets to fight fires so well worth watching... no doubt G~Man could comment here.




The 737 crash is covered here...



"Clipped the ridge line and pancaked in" - Possible CFIT? It wind was reported to have been gusting (see some of the comments relating to wind shear in the previous tragic accident).

Juan Brown's first report on the 737 crash on the ever vigilant blancolirio channel,,,

[TheGreenAnger]

Some detail on the 737 Fireliner aircraft.

[TheGreenAnger]

Edited to say that in the blancolirio post ref. the C-130 accident, Juan Brown talks up opportunities for the Australian aerial teams to learn from the US experience and vice versus, he notes an outfit based in California, who have a good operational framework. I wonder if G~Man would care to comment on this as I know he is very closely associated with such safety and operational activities in the USA, and I have heard him talking on the subject for Aussie audiences as well as others in the USA.

We have some very experienced folks posting here on our little site and should avail ourselves of their knowledge when we can!

[Pinky the pilot]

I found it utterly amazing and confusing (at first) that absolutely no mention of this accident was made on the ABC TV News services or, from what I can ascertain, any other TV News services here in South Australia!

Then I realised; The raising of official interest rates and the "Indigenous voice to Parliament' proposal is far more important!

[G~Man]

One thing from his video he asks what they were protecting right there---In reality, in the open is where we can catch fires before they burn into the urban interface.

Clearly the guy does not understand how firefighting works.

For those who have a spare hour, I did an interview many years ago now, (which is prolly the one TGG is talking about), you can hear the whole thing here: Long but interesting:

https://rotarywingshow.com/rws-20-firef ... gordy-cox/

I will answer questions......

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Having read the C-130 ATSB report, I would have thought the critical factor was that the NSWRFS did not communicate to the C-130 pilot that everyone else had refused the tasking.
I've made several decisions not to proceed, both civil and military, based on this kind of reporting. Sometimes I have cautiously continued for a self-assessment, but I think in every case I've agreed with everyone else and gone home/elsewhere.
I would extend this point to every sphere I've operated in. I've lost count of the number of fatal accident inquiries for sailing, mountaineering, school trips, etc, where either that everyone else had refused to go was not communicated, or it was communicated and the one idiot proceeded anyway.

[PHXPhlyer]

Having read the C-130 ATSB report, I would have thought the critical factor was that the NSWRFS did not communicate to the C-130 pilot that everyone else had refused the tasking.
I've made several decisions not to proceed, both civil and military, based on this kind of reporting. Sometimes I have cautiously continued for a self-assessment, but I think in every case I've agreed with everyone else and gone home/elsewhere.
I would extend this point to every sphere I've operated in. I've lost count of the number of fatal accident inquiries for sailing, mountaineering, school trips, etc, where either that everyone else had refused to go was not communicated, or it was communicated and the one idiot proceeded anyway.

The one idiot was unknowingly doing a public service.
They reinforced the good judgement of the rest.

PP

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Unfortunately, it's not usually the idiot in charge who dies, and even when they do it's not alone. Sorry I wasn't clear about that.

[OneHungLow]

Preliminary ATSB report is out.