FireBoss plane crashes in NE Washington, pilot survives
By:
Melissa Luck
Updated: August 15, 2018 12:43 PM PDT
The pilot of a firefighting plane battling flames in northeast Washington survived a crash near the fire Tuesday afternoon.
The information was originally reported on the Facebook page dedicated to fire information. It said "An aviation mishap occurred on the Horns Mountain Fire at approximately 2:00 pm. We are collecting information and a full statement will be made at a later time. Please avoid speculation and discussion until more details are released."
The Department of Natural Resources tells KXLY the pilot survived the crash and was able to crawl to a nearby road to get help. It was one of five FireBoss planes battling that fire Tuesday.
Air Spray USA, Inc., the company that owns the aircraft, released the following statement.
The aircraft experienced an unknown problem on the fire it was working near the US/Canadian border. The pilot executed a forced landing on a logging road and was able to the exit the aircraft. He was transported to the hospital. No other information is available at this time. An investigation is in process.
The Horns Mountain fire is burning right near the U.S.-Canadian border. It was sparked by lightning and has burned 667 acres.
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Narrative:
The aircraft force landed to logging road terrain during an aerial fire suppression flight in Stevens County north of Northport, Washington. The floatplane sustained minor damage and the sole pilot onboard was not injured during the incident.
Sources:
http://www.khq.com/story/38885866/fireboss-plane-crashes-fighting-the-horns-mountain-fire-in-northeast-washington
https://www.krem.com/article/news/pilot-survives-fire-boss-plane-crash-in-northeast-washington/293-584152617
https://www.asias.faa.gov/apex/f?p=100:95:::NO::P95_EVENT_LCL_DATE,P95_LOC_CITY_NAME,P95_REGIST_NBR:14-AUG-18,LAURIER,N397AS
http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=397AS
https://www.airspray.com/fire-boss.html
https://airtractor.com/aircraft/at-802f-fire-boss/
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uhF5_suNXv8
| Date: | 14-AUG-2018 |
| Time: | 14:00 |
| Type: |  Air Tractor AT-802A Fire Boss |
| Owner/operator: | Air Spray |
| Registration: | N397AS |
| C/n / msn: | 802A-0563 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Minor |
| Location: | Stevens County north of Northport, WA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Fire fighting |
| Departure airport: | |