ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 342657
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| Date: | Friday 21 June 1991 |
| Time: | 15:40 |
| Type: |  Beechcraft 58P Baron |
| Owner/operator: | U.S. Forest Service |
| Registration: | |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | 40 nm W of Albuquerque, NM -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Fire fighting |
| Departure airport: | Albuquerque Airport, NM |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
On June 21, 1991, a fire was burning on private land within the Cibola National Forest approximately 40 nautical miles west of the Albuquerque, New Mexico Airport (ABQ). A Cibola Dispatcher requested leadplane coverage following initial airtanker activity on the fire.
At 1434 MDT, a Forest Service owned and operated Beechcraft Baron B58P departed ABQ enroute to this fire. During the next four hours and nine minutes the pilot actively participated in suppression actions on this fire burning in relatively gentle rim rock and mesa terrain at an elevation of about 8,000 feet. An ATGS in a Cessna 340 assisted him in the workload. Throughout his time over this fire, the Baron pilot supplied information and provided direction for ground suppression personnel that were dealing with shifting wind conditions and reduced visibility.
Using airtankers from Alamogordo, New Mexico, this leadplane directed 17 retardant delivery runs prior to the mishap, delivering 18,900 gallons of retardant to the fire line.
The only witness to the mishap was a Captain of an airtanker. He and fire personnel indicated that the mishap pilot was attempting to provide retardant in an arroyo on the east end of the fire, which was obscured by a low layer of smoke. These personnel indicated that the mishap pilot felt retardant could be placed in this area. It would have to be delivered through the smoke immediately above the fire, but would not obscure or interfere with flight visibility. This drop was to be made at 8,100 feet using two doors at a time, sequenced to provide continuous 2,000 gallons coverage of a full retardant load from an airtanker.
Timing of the drop would be important to ensure penetration to the exact location of the fire, which could not be seen, burning in the bottom of the arroyo. Timing was also important as the leadplane had been out over four hours and the Baron pilot would need to return to ABQ for fuel as soon as this drop was completed.
The Baron joined up with the airtanker on downwind and proceeded to provide direction as the two aircraft descended into the drop pass on a heading of 100 degrees. The airtanker was 50 yards behind the leadplane on the pass. The leadplane pilot wagged his wings to mark the point of release and immediately entered a sharply pitched left bank in order to be in a position to observe the drop. The airtanker pilot noticed the Baron had a pitch angle of about 30 degrees and that the bank angle increased throughout the turn until the aircraft went “through the vertical” and crashed inverted, immediately north of the retardant line just delivered.
The airtanker pilot said that the Baron pilot had just begun to increase airspeed beyond the 120 knots used on the run. He estimated that the Baron was most likely doing 130 knots over the target when he initiated the pitch up and bank that terminated in the mishap. The airtanker pilot said that he saw and noted nothing different about the way the run was conducted and indicated he saw nothing fall from the aircraft as he observed the aircraft during the run.
The airtanker Captain had banked the airtanker slightly after the drop and was able to follow the leadplane as it passed through 90 degrees over the top of his left wing. He said that the elapsed time from the start of the leadplane turn until the mishap was about three seconds. The mishap occurred at 1843 MDT. Dispatch was notified and a search and rescue helicopter was ordered. The airtanker pilot said that immediately after impact, the Baron appeared to bounce and a fire ensued. The ground crew, including the Incident Commander, reached the scene on foot within 15 minutes of impact.
The Baron pilot had been fatally injured.
It was determined that the leadplane was flown at an airspeed of 120 to 130 knots on the retardant run and then performed an immediate climbing left turn into an increasing tail wind condition immediately before the mishap occurred.
Sources:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/2840945_United_States_Department_of_Agriculture_Forest_Service
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 31-Jul-2023 12:16 | harro | Added |
| 24-Sep-2023 05:46 | Ron Averes | Updated |
| 14-Nov-2023 04:09 | Ron Averes | Updated [Operator] |
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