1 dead after plane fire crashes in Colorado
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – One pilot was killed after a single-engine gas carrier crashed near the rapids Kruger Rock Fire on Tuesday night, according to the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office.
The plane’s flight is said to be historic: It’s the first time a fixed-wing aircraft has fought a fire at night using night vision in Colorado, according to Coloradoan’s TV news partners at 9News.
The fire, which is burning an estimated 133 acres, is 15% contained. Tuesday night, near Rocky Mountain National Park, 90 minutes from Denver.
The plane, called the Air Tractor Fire Boss, is a single-seat firefighting aircraft that can drop into 800 gallons of water or slow down on fire per flight and up to 14,000 gallons per hour, according to the manufacturer’s website.
9News previously reported that the flight was planned to deploy a pilot wearing night vision goggles on an aircraft equipped with a specialized infrared lighting system and other lights designed to fly at night. night. Proven technology in a Possibly protesting in Loveland, Colorado.
According to emergency radio broadcasts from the Estes Valley Fire District, the plane is believed to have crashed around 6:45pmIt left the airport at 6:13 p.m. and was last tracked at 6:36 p.m., according to the plane tracking website Flight knowledge.
Around 9:49 p.m., crews located the crash site, the sheriff’s office said.