Air tanker crashes and second makes wheels-up landing

[Chris Kennedy]

This article has a couple of photos of the crash scene. Not much left of the aircraft.

http://missoulian.com/news/local/detective-neptune-air-tanker-hit-tree-before-utah-crash/article_9b673400-aeb9-11e1-8763-001a4bcf887a.html

[Joe Copalman]

Wow, that's spooky how little intact wreckage there is. 

[Paul Dumm]

Makes it look like she whent in nose first. 

[Scott Youmans]

I heard that the fire they were fighting overtook the area after the crash.  Aluminum pretty much goes away in fires.  Very sad in any case.

[Joe Copalman]

^Yup.  The article that went along with the photos included a bit about molten aluminum streaming down the hill away from the crash site.  At least there were witness who saw it hit trees and cartwheel, instead of it being this mystery crash with little in the way of physical clues as to what happened. 

[Matt Ottosen]

Here's the Reuters article:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/05/us-usa-wildfires-idUSBRE85400A20120605

They used my photo without consent or credit to me, the caption and credit actually reads:

A P2V Lockheed Martin firefighting air tanker is pictured in an undated handout photo obtained by Reuters June 4, 2012. A similar plane crashed near the White Rock fire in the Hamlin Valley area of Iron County, Utah June 3, 2012. Capt. Todd Neal Tompkins and First Officer Ronnie Edwin Chambless, both of Boise, Idaho were both killed in the crash.

Credit: Reuters/Iron County Sheriff's Office/Handout.

[Chris Kennedy]

That photo is on the Iron County Sheriff's Office web site. They may be the ones that distributed it.

http://www.ironcounty.net/departments/sheriff/index.php/press-release/air-tanker-crash/

[Matt Ottosen]

That photo is on the Iron County Sheriff's Office web site. They may be the ones that distributed it.

http://www.ironcounty.net/departments/sheriff/index.php/press-release/air-tanker-crash/

Yes, I think you are correct, I have emailed both the Iron County Sheriff's Office and Reuters about this.

I guess this is the unfortunate downside to posting photos to the Internet...

[BillOz]

I would have expected better from Reuters, and even the Sheriff's office.

[Chris Kennedy]

From the NTSB preliminary report on the Tanker 11 crash:

While conducting its second retardant drop of the day, Tanker 11 followed behind the lead airplane into the drop zone. The drop zone was located in a shallow valley that was 0.4 miles wide and 350 feet deep. The lead airplane flew a shallow right-hand turn on to final, and dropped to an altitude of 150 feet above the valley floor over the intended drop area. While making the right turn on to final behind the lead plane, Tanker 11 impacted rising terrain that was about 700 feet left of the lead airplane's flight path.