Three American firefighters have been confirmed dead after a plane crashed in southern NSW. 9News
The plane took off from Richmond Airport in Sydney's southwest, flying over the ACT before it vanished from the radar.The three crew members died when their Hercules C-130 crashed around Peak View, northeast of Cooma.
The identities of the three specialist crew members killed in the crash have not been revealed, but Mr Fitzsimmons confirmed they were all US residents. "The firefighting fraternity is a tight-knit family, and the crew on board were well known, not just to their colleagues here in Australia," he said.
"We're reminded that a number of our US colleagues that are embedded in some of the incident management teams now, including in the high country, actually had personal relationships with them."A Hercules C-130 water-bomber like the one which crashed in southern NSW.The C-130 has been used in NSW to fight fires under contract for the last few years.The Oregon-based aviation company that owns the aircraft has released a statement.
"There are in excess of 70 aircraft that have been used today alone and today is a stark and horrible reminder of the dangerous conditions that our volunteers, emergency services personnel across a number of undertake daily.""ATSB investigators will also analyse available recorded data, review weather information and interview any witnesses," the bureau said in a statement., as extraordinary heat and powerful winds make firefighting efforts difficult.
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