20040617011629A

(-23) The aircraft was being used as a public use aerial tanker for firefighting operations by the U.S. Bureau of land management near st. george, Utah. The pilot was qualified by the blm in March, 2004 to perform firefighting operations in the aircraft. He was working his 2nd day of firefighting operations on this fire and had flown approximately 5 hours each day dropping fire retardant. Before the accident he had made two passes to line up on the fire but had not dropped due to improper alignment. On the 3rd pass he dropped the load slightly off target from an alititude between 50-100 feet. The aircraft was observed to pitch up and pitch down vertically into the ground and burn. The crash site was 1/2 mile from where the drop was completed on the same heading. Examination of the aircraft by investigators did not reveal any mechanical or engine malfunction. Initial autopsy reports did not reveal any cause for sudden incapacitation of the pilot. According to the owner/operator of the aircraft, flaps are normally used to avoid large pitching moments when the load, which weighs 3200 pounds, is released. The flaps and operating servos were destroyed in the post crash fire. The flap setting has not been determined. The pilot may have retracted the flaps during one of the aborted passes and did not reset them when he made the final pass. This would account for the pitch up observed by witnesses. He was unable to recover the aircraft in the limited altitude available.