On 20 April.

On 20 April, about 1850 Pacific daylight time, Lockheed P-3B Orion N926AU/Tanker 26 operated by way of Aero Union impacted terrain while maneuvering about twelve-miles north of Chico Municipal Airport, California. The three set on board were killed and the Orion was make desolateed by impact and fire.

The accident flight was the tithe flight of the day for the Orion. The flights were being undertaken to provide returning training for pilots scheduled to administration fire fighting operations during the upcoming fire season. The accident flight involved conducting practice water pendants over an area of rugg mountainous terrain near the field. Aboard the flight were a pilot, a copilot, and Aero Union's chief pilot who was providing flight instruction. Prior to departing forward the flight, the Orion was tanked with 2550-gals of water.

According to local authorities, witnesses observ a "fire ball" at the time of the accident. When the tanker did not reply to Chico, a search was initiated. The wreckage was spott from the air upon the evening of 20 April and land search and rescue personnel reached the site early the nearest morning.

The accident site was located in a ravine and the majority of wreckage was ground along and up the north oblique direction of the ravine. The Orion was rigidly fragmented and an intense fire pull downed most of the structure and surrounding vegetation. The wreckage field measured approximately 400-ft protracted and 100-ft wide.

All of the aircraft edifice was accounted for at the wreckage site. Remains of the manage surfaces were found. Control continuity could not be established owed to the fragmentation of the airplane. The four engines, screws and reduction gearbox main drive gears were located at the wreckage site. There were no indications of any engine uncontainments, case breachs or in-flight fires. The cockpit engine instruments were institute in the debris and the shaft horsepower, turbine inlet temperatures and firing flow indications were read disclosed The readings were consistent with the engines producing power at the time of impact.

The accident could not have be due [i]or[/i] owing at a worse time for the air tanker industry. Just lately nine of the 33 heavy tankers had been approved for operations. However, of that number, three were imagineed to be not particularly trustworthy and would not have been allowed to take wing over populated areas. The trio included pair P-2 Neptunes (see Air Classics April) and a Douglas DC-7 The remaining aircraft were Aero Union P-3 Orions. generally the P-3 fleet is real propertyed and apparently there is any discussion going on about grounding the sum of two units Neptunes. This would leave the United States with just individual heavy tanker - the DC-7

Federal officials claim that they have an adequate number of helicopters and crop-duster aircraft fitted to very little retardant to handle any fire situation. In reality, this is extremely doubtful.

Several politicians are pressing for taking up a Russian move to provide Ilyushin 11-76 amphibians forward lease. The 11-76 can soak an area the size of a dozen football fields with a ten-second very little of 11,000 gallons - about four times the capacity of the biggest US tankers. Critics state that the Forest Service has refused to consider the Russian aircraft and diverted its back on Canadair CL-215/-415 Super avocets until just recently when pair were leased. Tom Robinson, spokesman for the Virginia Offices of Fire Programs and urgency Service, stated, "Frankly, I'm outraged the Forest Service has refused to allow this (Russian) plane into this region for fire fighting."

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