U.S. Grounds Firefighting C-130 Aircraft After Crash

• 
  
• 
  
• • 
    
  • 
    
  • 
    
  • 
    
  • 
    
  • 
    
  
  

• 
  
• A
• A
• 
  

The U.S. military has grounded its fire-fighting C-130 aircraft after one crashed in South Dakota. (Lockheed Martin)

The U.S. military on July 2 suspended flights for C-130 transport planes equipped to fight wildfires after one aircraft went down in South Dakota, officials said.

Crews for the fleet will spend the day to “reflect, reset and review,” 153rd Air Expeditionary Group commander Col. Jerry Champlin said in a statement.

“We all need to make sure our crews and planes will be ready to re-engage in the mission safely,” he said.

A C-130 helping to contain a blaze in South Dakota crashed on July 1, with an unknown number of casualties among its crew, military officers said. The specially outfitted planes usually carry a crew of about six, but the number varies depending on the mission.

The C-130s have been battling a major wildfire in Colorado for days, but it was unclear when the aircraft would resume operations, according to the 153rd AEG.

The cargo planes are outfitted with equipment known as Modular Airborne Fire-fighting Systems (MAFFS) that allow the aircraft to dump about 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant in several seconds.

The suspension applies to a few dozen aircraft that are equipped with the firefighting gear, while the rest of the American military’s vast C-130 fleet would remain unaffected.

U.S. President Barack Obama paid tribute to the crew of the C-130 that crashed, saying that airmen in the fire-fighting planes “put their lives on the line every day for their fellow Americans.”

“I know Americans across the country share my concern for the well-being of the surviving members of the crew and my deep condolences to the families of those who lost their lives,” he said in a statement.

Over the past week, four of the C-130s were often in action every day battling the most destructive fire in Colorado’s history.

Authorities said earlier they had turned a corner on the Waldo Canyon fire partly due to cooler temperatures and estimated the blaze was 55 percent contained.

The fire has burned through some 17,827 acres and will not be fully contained until July 12, according to an official status report.

Source :

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE