FRESNO, Calif. -- In a preliminary report, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said the airtanker that crashed fighting the Dog Rock Fire may have struck a tree, causing the wing to separate from the airplane prior to crashing.
According to the report, during the firefighting operation, the airtanker coordinated its next drop with an orbiting aerial coordinator plane, then followed the lead plane into the drop area.
The report said the lead plane was ahead of the tanker and the crew did not see the crash. However, the crew of the controller plane reported the airtanker may have struck a tree with its wing, which caused the wing to fall off.
Both the crew of the controller plane and the lead plane reported that there was smoke in the area, but visibility was good.
The NTSB stressed that this was a preliminary report and the information may be subject to change in the final report.
The S-2T airtanker crashed in Yosemite while fighting the Dog Rock Fire near the Highway 140 entrance to the park on October 7th. The pilot Geoffrey "Craig" Hunt of San Jose was killed in the crash.
The airplane, manufactured in 2001, is an S-2T air tanker, which is flown by a single pilot and has no other crew members. The tanker uses twin turbine engines and is capable of carrying 1,200 gallons of fire retardant, said another CalFire spokesman, Daniel Berlant.