2023 Fire Season

[Riwaka]

Coulson's had a 737 crash while fighting a fire in Western Australia. Fortunately, both pilots have 'walked away'.

Coulson fire fighting 737 suffers accident in Australia | Flightradar24 Blog

The 2022/ 2023 Southern Hemisphere wildfire season has been bad in places like Chile, with regular intense wildfires.

[charles mann]

We have 1 bucket chinooks in chile and our other bucket is in argentina and trying to get it to chile to help. Plus 2 tank chinooks in aus, a c-130 and then that 737 that had its unfortunate accident.

[Riwaka]

Video from the crash site.

Looks like it clipped the top of a small hill.

Pilots survive Boeing 737 water bomber crash in Western Australia | 7NEWS - YouTube

[charles mann]

Early rumor around the camp fire from key persons is a stall could play a factor in the events moments before impact. Pilot reports/statements and the retrieval and investigation of flt data recorders along with other investigatory methods should yield a more clear cause, vs. early news reports and pure speculation. 

The primary and most important report is, the crew walked away. 
Much better than a friend last yr in early july that died in a chinook crash working the salmon fire in eastern idaho. That investigation is still ongoing. 

[sawguy21]

I worked in the aviation industry for a few years and lost too many coworkers in crashes. Aerial firefighting is very dangerous work.

[charles mann]

I worked in the aviation industry for a few years and lost too many coworkers in crashes. Aerial firefighting is very dangerous work.

Early last yr. we had a near miss when a SEAT (single engine air tanker for others that dont know the abbrivation name) lost control, crashing just over 100 yds away from our chinook that was sitting on the deck at 100%, waiting to take off after the seats landed. 2 of our guys had plane debris narrowly miss them, falling short of hitting our acft. Luckily, the seat pilot lived. 

[BAN]

 

 

 
working the Consalus fire just east of priest lake Idaho

[Riwaka]

Dozer on cable tether pushing in Fire line after feller buncher.

Wiley Fire- Tethered Dozer Fireline Construction - YouTube

[Riwaka]

Fire season 2023/ 2024 already starting Down Under.

Chinook for NSW, Australia Fire Season 2023/24
Sizzling heat and gusty winds marks the start of the bushfire season | 7 News Australia - YouTube

Victoria, Australia already burning, 1st October 2023.
Gippsland towns under bushfire threat from the coast to the mountains | 7 News Australia - YouTube

[BAN]

 

it was a fairly mild fire season around here this year. We just started the burnt tree removal along I90 right of way south of Spokane from the Gray fire.