Huge Hercules air tanker 'CRASHES in the Snowy Mountains' while fighting bushfires – as helicopters search bushland for wreckage (Australia)

Daily Mail (Australia/UK) ^ | 23rd January 2020 | Brett Lackey

[naturalman1975]

The NSW Rural Fire Service is investigating after reports of an incident involving an aircraft in southern NSW.

Contact was lost with a C130 waterbomber aircraft working in the Snowy Monaro area.

Ground crews fighting fires in the region have reportedly indicated the aircraft may have crashed.

A search is being conducted by helicopters in the area known as Peak View, northeast of Cooma.

[naturalman1975]

Prayers for the crew and their families would be appreciated.

[piasa]

Prayers up

[Lurker]

Prayers up.

L

[Does so]

To fight earlier wildfires, Oz leased a giant Russian jet a few years ago.

Antunov?

[txnativegop]

Prayers up

[piasa]

They’re doing big prescribed burns here on the Florida coast and I notice no one is objecting this time around.

[Moose47]

The aircraft drops fire-retardant not water.

[AlaskaErik]

N405LC is a 1985 Lyndon Air Cargo L382, which is the civilian version of the C-130. Which explains why it doesn’t have the external fuel tanks a military C-130 from that era would have. Lyndon is based out of Anchorage, Alaska. I know some people who work for them, but none of them would have been on this particular mission. Still, sad to see this happen.

[AlaskaErik]

Linden Air Cargo...misspelled it.

[LibWhacker]

Arsonists who are caught setting a fire that costs someone his life should be summarily executed.

[Paal Gulli]

Since there currently are airplanes with a MGTOW nearly 10x that of the C-130, I scarcely think it qualifies as “yuge.”

[Amberdawn]

Prayers for the air crew and all those fighting these fires.

[shanover]

Arsonists need to get a life sentence.

[naturalman1975]

Compared to most of the aircraft used as fire fighting tankers here, and that’s the context.

If Australians hear about a fire tanker crashing, they’d probably first think a fairly small helicopter - the headline is for them to understand that’s not what is being talked about.

[naturalman1975]

At this point, wreckage has been found and initial reports say the crew of three were killed.

[Paul R.]

Damn. Prayers for all, for sure!

[naturalman1975]

All three crew confirmed dead. They were US citizens who had flown across the world to provide assistance.

Australia will mourn them as our own.

[wardaddy]

Title made me think Wyoming at first ..but I thought in winter?..

Prayers

[wardaddy]

Title made me think Wyoming at first ..but I thought in winter?..

Prayers

[Long Jon No Silver]

Well said. Gave their lives helping us Aussies. So sad