Marsh Aviation S 2F3AT accident near El Portal, CA
On October 7, 2014, a Marsh Aviation S 2F3AT (airplane) was involved in an accident near El Portal, CA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- October 7, 2014
- Place
- El Portal, CA
- Aircraft
- Marsh Aviation S 2F3AT · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 37.690°N, 119.737°W
- NTSB ID
- 20141007X20706
Official records · WPR15GA005
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On October 7, 2014, about 1623 Pacific daylight time, a Marsh Aviation S-2F3AT airplane, N449DF, call sign "Tanker 81," impacted terrain while maneuvering in Yosemite National Park near El Portal, California. The airline transport pilot sustained fatal injuries, and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was registered to the United States Department of Agriculture and operated by CAL FIRE. On this fire, it was under the operational control of US National Park Service (NPS), as a public firefighting flight. Visual meteorological conditions existed near the accident site about the time of the accident. The airplane had departed Columbia Airport (O22), Columbia, California, at 1608. According to a CAL FIRE representative, Tanker 81 was stationed at the Hollister, California, air base and had been dispatched to the Dog Rock fire in Yosemite National Park. The airplane successfully made one fire retardant drop and then proceeded to O22 to reload. Tanker 81 was supported by two other aircraft: an orbiting Air Tactical aircraft (ATGS) that coordinated the aerial operations with ground units and an Aerial Supervision Module (ASM) that flew ahead of the tanker to define the route and the drop initiation point. Upon returning to the fire area, the accident pilot coordinated his next drop with the orbiting ATGS aircraft and then followed the ASM airplane. According to the ASM pilot, the ASM flew the proposed drop route and initiated smoke to show the Tanker 81 pilot the desired drop location. The route included a slight left turn to final and a right turn to exit
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from trees while maneuvering at a low altitude.
More accidents in CA
- Douglas MD-83, Feb 1, 2000
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Browse: California
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
