WELCOME BACK.
LET'S GET BACK TO OUR
BREAKING NEWS AT THIS 6:30
HOUR.
RIGHT NOW MOMENTS AGO ON OUR
AIR CAL FIRE CONFIRMING TO US
THAT ONE OF ITS AIR TANKERS HAS
CRASHED WHILE FIGHTING A FAST
GROWING FIRE NEAR YOSEMITE
NATIONAL PARK.
THIS IS THE DOG ROCK FIRE.
THE PLANE WENT DOWN ABOUT A
MILE INSIDE THE PARK RIGHT NEAR
HIGHWAY 140.
SO FAR, THERE IS NO WORD ON THE
PLANE'S PILOT, THE ONLY CREW
MEMBER.
LET'S CHECK IN WITH CAL
FIRE.
LET'S START WITH THE STATUS OF
THE PILOT.
DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING YET?
NOT AT THIS TIME.
WE STILL, THOUGH WE'VE BEEN
ABLE TO DETERMINE THAT THE
AIRCRAFT DID GO DOWN, WE DO NOT
HAVE RESCUE PERSONNEL YET AT
SCENE, BUT THEY'RE WORKING TO
MAKE THEIR WAY.
YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER THIS IS
EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TERRAIN.
YOSEMITE IS KNOWN FOR ITS LARGE
CANYONS AND IS VERY DIFFICULT
TO FIGHT FIRE IN.
EVEN MORE DIFFICULT FOR OUR
CREWS ON THE GROUND TO MAKE
THEIR WAY TO THE PILOT TO
ASSESS THE CONDITION.
WHAT WE DO KNOW IS LATE THIS
AFTERNOON WE DID LOSE RADIO
CONTACT WITH ONE OF OUR AIR
TANKERS AND WITHIN THE LAST
HOUR WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO CONFIRM
THAT AIRCRAFT DID CRASH WHILE
FIGHTING THE DOG ROCK FIRE IN
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK.
HOW CLOSE IS THE FIRE TO THE
CRASH SITE?
I DON'T HAVE AN EXACT -- THE
AIRCRAFT WENT DOWN NEAR THAT
AREA.
I DON'T HAVE THE EXACT -- HOW
CLOSE THE FIRE BUT THIS HAS
BEEN A VERY CHALLENGING FIRE
WITH A LOT MORE FIRES THAN WE
WOULD TYPICALLY AND CONDITIONS
ARE RIPE FOR THESE TYPE OF
CONDITIONS.
BUT RIGHT NOW OBVIOUSLY GROUND
PERSONNEL CONTINUE ATTACKING
THE FIRE.
AS A SAFETY PRECAUTION WE DID
GROUND THIS EVENING OUR
AIRCRAFT AS WE DO A SAFETY
CHECK TO ENSURE THAT THE
AIRCRAFT REMAIN MISSION READY
BUT RIGHT NOW OUR NUMBER ONE
PRIORITY IS MAKING OUR WAY TO
THE CRASH LOCATION, ASSESSING
THE PILOT, AND OBVIOUSLY OUR
HOPES AND PRAYERS GO TO THE
PILOT THAT THE PILOT IS ALL
RIGHT.
WE'VE BEEN HEARING
INFORMATION FROM TWEETS AND
THINGS OUT THERE SUCH THAT
THERE MIGHT BE SOME DEBRIS
ALONG THE ROADWAY.
DO WE KNOW IF THE PLANE
ACTUALLY CRASHED ON HIGHWAY 140
OR JUST IN A REMOTE AREA ON A
HILLSIDE?
WHERE THE AIRCRAFT WAS LAST
SEEN WAS OFF HIGHWAY 140.
THERE WERE PEOPLE THAT
OBVIOUSLY SAUT AIRCRAFT AS IT
WAS HAVING SOME TYPE OF
EMERGENCY BUT THAT INFORMATION
YET WE JUST DON'T HAVE.
THERE ARE A LOT OF REPORTS THAT
CAME INTO US THAT
SAID THE
AIRCRAFT MAY HAVE GONE DOWN BUT
UNTIL WE WERE ABLE TO VISUALLY
SEE IT HAD CRASHED WE WEREN'T
ABLE TO DETERMINE THAT.
THIS HAS BEEN A VERY DYNAMIC
COUPLE HOURS AND IN THE
MEANTIME WE -- ANY TIME WE HAVE
AN INCIDENT LIKE THIS, THE LAST
TIME IN FACT WE HAD AN AIRCRAFT
GO DOWN WAS ALMOST TEN YEARS
AGO.
THESE ARE VERY SERIOUS
ACCIDENTS FOR SURE.
IF THE PILOT WAS ABLE TO
MAKE IT TO 140 IT MIGHT
SUGGEST
THE PILOT HAD SOME LEVEL OF
CONTROL.
YOU SAID THIS IS A REMOTE AREA
BUT IF YOUR PLANE IS GOING DOWN
AND YOU'RE ABLE TO MAKE IT TO A
HIGHWAY THAT WOULD AT LEAST
GIVE YOU SOME HOPE EVEN IF IT'S
A HARD LANDING GETTING OUT OF
THERE SAFELY.
IS THERE AN INDICATION THE
PILOT ACTUALLY WAS ABLE TO GO
DOWN ON THE ROADWAY?
WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THESE
PILOTS ARE HIGHLY TRAINED AND
HIGHLY SKILLED.
MOST OF IN 'EM ARE VETERANS
FROM FLYING IN PAST WARS SO
THESE ARE GREAT PILOTS.
IT TAKES A LOT OF SKILL TO BE
ABLE TO FLY IN AIRCRAFT
FIGHTING A FIRE.
SO THESE ARE REALLY SOME OF THE
BEST OF THE BEST.
WE JUST DON'T KNOW THE EXACT
CIRCUMSTANCES BUT WE'LL -- WE
ABSOLUTELY KNOW THAT THE PILOT
WOULD HAVE GONE THROUGH A LOT
OF TRAINING AND DID GO THROUGH
A LOT OF TRAINING TO DEAL WITH
EMERGENCY SITUATIONS LIKE THIS.
BUT UNTIL WE CAN GET AT THE
SCENE AND START TO
PUT THE
PIECES TOGETHER IT IS TOO EARLY
TO SPECULATE.
I UNDERSTAND CAL FIRE BOUGHT
SOME OF THESE TYPE OF PLANES IN
1996 ACCORDING TO THE WEBSITE.
CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT WHAT THE PLANE IS LIKE
AND KIND OF HOW THEY WERE
CONFIGURED?
YEAH.
WE'VE OWNED THESE AIRCRAFT
SINCE THE 1970'S.
BACK IN THE 1990'S WE DID
RETROFIT THE ENGINES.
THE AIRCRAFT ARE ALMOST
COMPLETELY REBUILT AND MODIFIED
SPECIFICALLY FOR FIGHTING FIRE.
THEY WERE USED IN THE KOREAN
WAR TO FIGHT THE SUBMARINES AND
TO DROP MISSILES BUT HAVE BEEN
COMPLETELY RETROFITTED FOR
FIGHTING FIRE.
WE'VE HAD THEM IN SERVICE FOR
DECADES.
WE PRIDE OURSELVES ON OUR
MAINTENANCE PROGRAM AND BEING
ABLE TO TAKE AIRCRAFT THAT ARE
FORMER MILITARY AIRCRAFT AND
USE THEM TO HELP US BATTLE WILD
FIRES.
THESE ARE INITIAL ATTACK
AIRCRAFT AND RESPOND ANY TIME
WE HAVE A REPORTED FIRE.
THEY HOLD ABOUT 1200 GALLONS OF
FIRE RETARDANT AND HELP OUR
FIREFIGHTERS ON THE GROUND SLOW
DOWN A FIRE SO THEY CAN PUT IT
OUT.
JUST VERY QUICKLY YOU
MENTIONED YOU GROUNDED THE
OTHER TANKERS.
HOW DOES THAT ATTACK THE FIRE
FIGHT GOING ON RIGHT NOW?
TYPICALLY LATE EVENING THE
AIRCRAFT WE WOULD HAVE CUT-OFF
TIME WHERE IT IS TOO DARK TO
FLY AIRCRAFT.
THAT OCCURS RIGHT AROUND NOW OR
SUNDOWN.
WITH ONE HOUR TO GO BEFORE
SUNDOWN WE DID MAKE THE
DECISION IT WAS IN THE BEST
INTEREST OF OUR AIRCRAFT AND
PILOTS TO GROUND THE AIRCRAFT
SO WE COULD DETERMINE, MAKING
SURE THAT THERE ISN'T A SAFETY
ISSUE.
IF THERE IS OBVIOUSLY IT'S
SOMETHING WE NEED TO ADDRESS.
IT WAS MORE IMPORTANT TO ENSURE
THE AIRCRAFT, THE OTHER 22 THAT
WE HAVE, WERE SAFE.
THAT OUR PILOTS WERE SAFE.
AND THAT WE GO THROUGH A FULL
SAFETY DEBRIEFING AND OBVIOUSLY
A CRITICAL INCIDENT DEBRIEFING
WITH OUR PILOTS.
THE POTENTIAL OF HAVING AN
INJURY IS VERY SERIOUS AND WE
WANT TO MAKE SURE OUR PILOTS
REMAIN AT THE TOP OF THEIR GAME
ABSOLUTELY.
REAL QUICK, DANIEL, I KNOW YOU
HAVE A LOT OF CREWS ON THIS
FIRE.
DO YOU KNOW AT THIS POINT WHO
THE PILOT WAS OR THE NUMBER OF
THAT PLANE?
ANY SPECIFICS ABOUT THIS
PARTICULAR AIRPLANE?
NO.
WE'RE STILL WORKING RIGHT NOW
TO NOTIFY THE PILOT'S FAMILY.
UNTIL WE CAN MAKE THAT
CONVERSATION WITH THEIR FAMILY
TO LET THEM KNOW WHAT'S
HAPPENING, WE AREN'T RELEASING
THE EXACT NAME OF THE PILOT OR
THE LOCATION.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL OF
YOUR HARD WORK TONIGHT.
I KNOW IT'S A TOUGH NIGHT FOR
CREWS OUT THERE AND WE'LL
CERTAINLY BE IN TOUCH THE REST
OF THE NIGHT.