Originally published at: Two Killed In Yosemite Firefighting Helicopter Accident
The Eurocopter AS332L1 was conducting water drops on the Dome Fire when it went down Sunday afternoon.
An Aerospatiale Super Puma, used to be quite a few in North America - Okanagan/Canadian Helicopters used them to take workers to and from oil platforms off of Newfoundland.
(L means the longer Super version, identifiable by top forward fuselage projecting beyond engine inlets.)
My condolences to the pilots’ families. Aerial firefighting is a dangerous job, especially for helicopters during suppression operations in mountainous terrain. They often dip out of confined water sources with the helicopter at maximum load and power in high density altitudes. Ridgeline turbulence and severe leeward side downdrafts can be present when the wind on the ridgeline is over 15 knots. Visibility is limited in smoke on many drops and obstacles can be hidden in the smoke. Their drops are just above the trees to be effective. I flew a scout plane and worked with suppression helicopters and tankers for seven years in mountainous areas so I’ve had first-hand experience with these operations.
This topic was automatically closed after 7 days. New replies are no longer allowed.