Bay Area pilot killed in Yosemite plane crash
ATWATER, Calif. (KFSN) -- The pilot was flying an S-2T airtanker when he crashed while helping to fight a wildfire. The pilot's name has not been released, but he was working out of the Hollister area.
The pilot was from the Bay Area and had been flying for more than 15 years. Wednesday morning, Cal Fire has grounded all of its planes at Castle Airport.
The crash involved a S-2T air tanker - Number 81, which plays a key role in the wildfire firefighting. The S-2T tankers are designed to be the initial air attack. They carry 1,200 gallons of retardant and are typically flown with a single pilot as its crew. Cal Fire began using these tankers in 1996, when it purchased them from the Department of Defense and retrofitted them for California fire fighting efforts.
All of the pilots who fly tankers for Cal Fire are actually contracted and not Cal Fire employees. The pilots work for Dyn Corp International, which is a private military contractor based out of Virginia.
The pilot left the Hollister Air Attack on Wednesday around 3 p.m. and headed to fight the Dog Rock Fire, when the flight took a tragic turn.
Officials said the deceased pilot had a fire background and really loved his job. Officials are still trying to notify his family. He leaves behind a wife and children.
The NTSB and the FAA will be out at the crash site later Wednesday morning to begin investigating what brought that air tanker down in the first place.
