The chief of Cal Fire said Wednesday that the agency is grounding the 22 remaining Grumman S-2T airtankers in its fleet and will carry out an evaluation of the aircraft and pilots following a fatal airtanker crash on Tuesday.
Cal Fire also identified the airtanker pilot killed Tuesday afternoon as Geoffrey “Craig” Hunt, 62, of San Jose.
A 13-year veteran pilot of DynCorp International – which is under contract with Cal Fire – Hunt was working on the Dog Rock Fire near Yosemite National Park when the crash occurred.
Hunt was based out of Cal Fire's Hollister Air Attack Base. He is survived by a wife and two daughters.
“We continue to mourn the tragic loss of Craig,” said Chief Ken Pimlott, Cal Fire director. “We know wildland firefighting is an inherently dangerous job, but Craig made the ultimate sacrifice.”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Craig’s family during this difficult time,” said Jeff Cavarra, program director for DynCorp International.
Pimlott said during a Wednesday morning press conference that contact with the Grumman S-2T airtanker – known as Tanker 81 – Hunt was flying was lost just before 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, and an accountability process was immediately put into place.
He said a Yosemite National Park search and rescue team responded and began looking for the downed plane.
Pimlott said Hunt's plane was located shortly after nightfall in a remote area. The recovery effort continued on Wednesday morning.
“This affects the entire firefighting community when we have this tragic loss,” Pimlott said.
Pimlott said Hunt died serving the state and his community, and protecting lives and property.
The National Transportation Safety Board assumed command of the investigation on Wednesday, with Pimlott stating that Cal Fire was supporting the process.
The Grumman S-2T airtankers in Cal Fire's fleet date back to 1958, when they were in service with the United States Navy as carrier-based aircraft, Pimlott said.
The planes were made available to the state of California in the late 1990s through a federal excess property program, according to Pimlott.
He said all of the planes were completely retrofitted and rebuilt, and repowered with turbine engines. Essentially new aircraft, the planes were put into service in the early 2000s, with the final three tankers put into service in 2005.
The planes, manufactured by Grumman Aerospace of New York, have a 1,200-gallon fire retardant payload, and are used for a fast initial attack delivery on wildland fires, according to Cal Fire.
All of Cal Fire's aircraft go through an aggressive maintenance program and are rotated through the agency's Sacramento-based maintenance facility, Pimlott said. He added that all of the aircraft are within their maintenance cycle.
Pimlott said Cal Fire receives federal safety awards for its maintenance programs, and agency officials feel strongly about the safety of the aircraft.
Nevertheless, shortly after the Tuesday crash it was decided to place the rest of the Grumman S-2T tankers in a safety stand down, Pimlott said. All of the aircraft and the status of their pilots are now being evaluated.
With those aircraft temporarily unavailable, Pimlott said the US Forest Service has moved 13 large airtankers into California and deployed them to the areas of greatest need. Cal Fire also has available two DC-10 tankers and multiple helicopters.
California is the only state left with significant fire activity at this time, Pimlott said. If needed, the California National Guard can be activated.
“As of today we are very comfortable with the assets in play and will continue to evacuate as this process plays out,” Pimlott said.
Officials said the Dog Rock Fire's cause remains under investigation. By Wednesday night it had burned 250 acres.
Gov. Jerry Brown expressed his condolences to Hunt's family on Wednesday.
“Anne and I were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Craig Hunt, who bravely fought wildfires throughout the state. Our deepest condolences go to his family, friends and colleagues,” the governor said.
In honor of Hunt, Brown ordered State Capitol flags to be flown at half-staff.
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Cal Fire grounds Grumman S-2T aircraft following fatal airtanker crash
- Elizabeth Larson
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