A U.S. Air Force refueling plane made an emergency landing at RAF Mildenhall airbase in England, on April 29.
The KC-135 Stratotanker was on a routine mission when it had to declare an in-flight emergency due to a flight control-related fault.
The plane landed uneventfully. There were 3 passengers and 3 crew members aboard at the time; all of them remained unharmed.
An air tanker, belonging to California Fire Department, crashed while fighting the Dog Rock Fire near Arch Rock in Yosemite National Park, northern California, on October 7.
The Cal fire department confirmed that the single-seater S-2T aircraft went down at around 4:26 p.m. near an entrance to the Yosemite National Park.
The pilot of the air tanker was killed in the accident. He was later identified as Geoffrey “Craig” Hunt, 62, of San Jose.
Chief Ken Pimlott, Cal Fire director said, “We continue to mourn the tragic loss of Craig…We know wildland firefighting is an inherently dangerous job, but Craig made the ultimate sacrifice.”
A Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System aircraft belonging to the 153rd Airlift Wing of the Wyoming Air National Guard, made an emergency landing at Hill Air Force Base near Ogden, Utah, on August 17.
The C-130 aircraft was on a fire fighting mission when the crew discovered a potential issue in the nose gear.
The plane landed in emergency shortly before 1 p.m. The authorities confirmed that none of the 6 persons aboard were hurt, although fire was sparked in the aircraft during landing.
The aircraft is one of two air tankers Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead recently initiated to fight fires in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah and California.
A statement released by the Hill Air Force Base stated that the air tanker had planned to refuel and resupply at the base. It also said more information will be released after investigation.
