What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
California dept of forestry public use acft was on a fire fighting mission when it crashed under unkn circumstances.(-23) on October 5, 1998, at 1236 hours pacific daylight time, a Grumman TS-2A, N416DF, operated by the California department of forestry, was destroyed during a collison with mountainous terrain near Banning, California, while on a fire operation. The pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the operation. The aircraft was carrying fire retardant chemicals at the time of the accident. Airborne witnesses described the atmospheric conditions as windy and turbulent. They observed the aircraft approaching a drop zone downwind and downhill. The aircraft turned from a left base to the drop zone heading in a 60 degree left bank. The aircraft suddenly rolled to 90 degrees of bank colliding with terrain prior to releasing the retardant. The pilot flight hours in block #30 above are estimated. (.4)the air tanker pilot was on a fire suppression mission with fire retardant chemicals aboard, and had made two previous drops on the fire line. Another tanker and spotter pilot witnessed the last drop approach, and reported that the pilot w ilot was turning from base leg to the westerly drop heading downwind while in a 60-degree left bank. The aircraft suddenly rolled left to 90 degrees, and at that point the left wing tip struck the terrain. The winds were estimated by the tanker pilots to be 25 to 30 mph with gusts to 40 plus from the east. The pilots also reported turbulence and bad air. AIRMET tango was issued for turbulence and isolated severe conditions mainly below 10,000 in the vicinity of canyons and passes.
As the FAA filed it
CALIFORNIA DEPT OF FORESTRY PUBLIC USE ACFT WAS ON A FIRE FIGHTING MISSION WHEN IT CRASHED UNDER UNKN CIRCUMSTANCES.(-23) ON OCTOBER 5, 1998, AT 1236 HOURS PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME, A GRUMMAN TS-2A, N416DF, OPERATED BY THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY, WAS DESTROYED DURING A COLLISON WITH MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN NEAR BANNING, CALIFORNIA, WHILE ON A FIRE OPERATION. THE PILOT WAS FATALLY INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE OPERATION. THE AIRCRAFT WAS CARRYING FIRE RETARDANT CHEMICALS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. AIRBORNE WITNESSES DESCRIBED THE ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS AS WINDY AND TURBULENT. THEY OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT APPROACHING A DROP ZONE DOWNWIND AND DOWNHILL. THE AIRCRAFT TURNED FROM A LEFT BASE TO THE DROP ZONE HEADING IN A 60 DEGREE LEFT BANK. THE AIRCRAFT SUDDENLY ROLLED TO 90 DEGREES OF BANK COLLIDING WITH TERRAIN PRIOR TO RELEASING THE RETARDANT. THE PILOT FLIGHT HOURS IN BLOCK #30 ABOVE ARE ESTIMATED. (.4)THE AIR TANKER PILOT WAS ON A FIRE SUPPRESSION MISSION WITH FIRE RETARDANT CHEMICALS ABOARD, AND HAD MADE TWO PREVIOUS DROPS ON THE FIRE LINE. ANOTHER TANKER AND SPOTTER PILOT WITNESSED THE LAST DROP APPROACH, AND REPORTED THAT THE PILOT W ILOT WAS TURNING FROM BASE LEG TO THE WESTERLY DROP HEADING DOWNWIND WHILE IN A 60-DEGREE LEFT BANK. THE AIRCRAFT SUDDENLY ROLLED LEFT TO 90 DEGREES, AND AT THAT POINT THE LEFT WING TIP STRUCK THE TERRAIN. THE WINDS WERE ESTIMATED BY THE TANKER PILOTS TO BE 25 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 PLUS FROM THE EAST. THE PILOTS ALSO REPORTED TURBULENCE AND BAD AIR. AIRMET TANGO WAS ISSUED FOR TURBULENCE AND ISOLATED SEVERE CONDITIONS MAINLY BELOW 10,000 IN THE VICINITY OF CANYONS AND PASSES.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.