Pilots safe after B.C. air tanker crashes in Australia
Two pilots are safe after a large air tanker owned by a Vancouver Island company crashed while battling wildfires in western Australia.
A statement from aircraft owner Coulson Aviation, based in Port Alberni, B.C., says the converted Boeing 737 aircraft went down Monday with a two-person crew on board.
"Both pilots walked away from the accident, and have been medically assessed," CEO Wayne Coulson said in the statement on the company's website.
"Our thoughts and our immediate concern is for those team members and their families," he added. "We are very grateful the two team members on Tanker 139 are safe."
The aircraft went down around 4:15 p.m. local time while responding to a wildfire in Fitzgerald River National Park, according to a statement from Australia's Department of Fire and Emergency Services.
"The two occupants removed themselves from the aircraft," the emergency services department said.
"Both were retrieved from the crash site by helicopter and taken to Ravensthorpe Airport, where they were then transferred to a local medical facility."
Tanker 139 is one of the newest aircraft in Coulson Aviation's fleet of six "Fireliner" tankers created from modified commercial passenger jets.
On Jan. 17, the company announced Tanker 139 would be based in Sydney, New South Wales, after Coulson was awarded a two-year firefighting contract from the Australian government.
"Coulson is proud to provide our state-of-the-art aircraft to the federal Australian government," Coulson Aviation Australia CEO Britt Coulson said in a statement last month.
"This aircraft is an incredibly efficient bomber and the crews that operate each of our aircraft are second to none."
The latest crash comes three years after a Coulson air tanker crashed in Australia, killing all three American crewmembers.
The converted C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft was carrying a load of fire retardant on a bombing mission when it went down in the Snowy Manaro region of New South Wales on Jan. 23, 2020.
An investigation by the Australian Transportation Safety Board (ATSB) found the aircraft's left wing clipped a tree before the plane hit the ground and erupted into a catastrophic fuel fire.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Rainfall warnings of up to 80 mm among weather alerts in effect for 6 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres and other alerts have been issued for six Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Bus plunges off a bridge in South Africa, killing 45 people. An 8-year-old child is only survivor
A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa on Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said.
Calgary bridges remain closed due to ongoing police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.