Investigators say the wings of an air tanker broke off before the fuselage caught fire and crashed near Walker, Calif. But the National Transportation Safety Board says a final report on the June 17th crash that killed three people won´t be completed for about a year. The C-130-A crashed after dropping a load of fire retardant on the Cannon fire. The pilot and two crew members were killed. Records show the 46-year-old plane had been repaired in 1998 to fix wing cracks. The plane, owned by Wyoming-based Hawkins & Powers, was under contract with the U.S. Forest Service. The six remaining C-130s in the firefighting fleet have been grounded indefinitely until the cause of the crash is determined.
This post was last modified on 01/31/2009 5:26 pm