A Lockheed EC-130Q1 air tanker had entered a climbing left turn after dropping retardant on a wildfire in Australia’s Snowy Mountains when it rolled left and plunged to the ground, killing all three crewmembers.
Accident Investigation, Aviation Weather, News
‘Don’t Send Anybody’
The pilots of an EC-130 air tanker likely were unaware of other crews’ decisions to stop operations at a nearby fire site because of high winds, the ATSB says.