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| Date: | Wednesday 23 August 1995 |
| Time: | 15:00 LT |
| Type: |  Douglas C-54G |
| Owner/operator: | California Dept. of Forestry |
| Registration: | N2742G |
| MSN: | 36089 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 27975 hours |
| Engine model: | P&W R-2000 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Aubeery, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | Fresno, CA (KFAT) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The tanker pilot was approaching the drop area when the copilot saw some static lines in front of the windscreen and alerted the pilot flying the aircraft. The pilot then dove below the lines before collided with them, severing the top 1/3 of the vertical stabilizer. Visibility was reported by those in the operation as good with some smoke from the fire which they considered not a factor. All pilots were advised of wires in the area and some had the lower set of lines in view. None of the pilots involved in the operation were aware of the higher set of lines 150 feet above the lower set, which were 140 feet above the ground. The other pilots following the accident aircraft, now aware of the higher lines, flew below these wires. This was the accident pilot's third pass over the fire area and the pilot was aware of the general terrain from previous operations. These unmarked transmission lines are depicted on the terrain map. However, the height of these lines was not passed on to the pilots, nor did the lead pilot see the higher lines along the tanker's route of flight when he made a clearing pass over the area just before the collision.
Probable Cause: failure of the pilot to see and avoid known obstacles along his route of flight. Contributing was the insufficient information given by the pilot in the lead aircraft.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB LAX95TA304
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 14-Mar-2024 12:52 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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