The cause of the crash has not been determined,
and the incident is under investigation,
officials said. At the time of the crash, the
crew was fighting the White Draw Fire near
Edgemont, S.D.
Sunday's crash was the first in the 40-year
history of the MAFFS program, a joint Defense
Department and U.S. Forest Service program that
provides additional aerial firefighting
resources when commercial and private air
tankers are no longer able to meet the Forest
Service's needs.
MAFFS is a self-contained aerial firefighting
system owned by the Forest Service that can
discharge 3,000 gallons of water or fire
retardant in less than five seconds, covering an
area a quarter of a mile long by 100 feet wide.
The MAFFS-equipped fleet is spending Monday
getting the crews together to "reflect, reset
and review," said Air Force Col. Jerry Champlin,
153rd Air Expeditionary Group commander. "We all
need to make sure our crews and planes will be
ready to re-engage in the mission safely."
U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell said the
agency is deeply saddened by this tragic
incident. "The agency fully supports the
decision by the military to stand down its MAFFS
operation to address the needs of personnel and
families and ensure the safety of the mission
when it resumes," he said. "The agency will
continue to allocate available firefighting
assets according to the prioritization of
incidents." It is not known when the MAFFS
aircraft will resume operations, officials said.
|