No cockpit recording found in deadly C-130 bushfire crash investigation
What occurred inside the cockpit of the C-130 water bomber in the moments before it crashed while a fighting a bushfire in southern NSW remains a mystery, with investigators finding no voice recording of the deadly incident.
A report into the January 23 crash said no cockpit recording was made in the water bomber during its last flight, where the C-130 was subject to “severe turbulence” and wind gusts of over 80km/h as it attempted to drop fire retardant over a blaze near Cooma.
US airmen Captain Ian McBeth, first officer Paul Hudson and flight engineer Rick DeMorgan were killed when the 1981 built plane’s left wing first clipped a tree before crashing into a hillside.
The Coulson Aviation flight had dropped to about 200 feet above ground level where it dropped 4500 litres of fire retardant over the Good Good fire before it was seen by witnesses to bank left and become obscured by smoke.
“A further 15 seconds after this, the aircraft was seen flying at a very low height above the ground, in a left wing down attitude,” the Australian Transport Safety Bureau report said.
No distress calls were made by the crew before the crash, while no emergency dump of retardant had been activated.
The ATSB report said no voice recordings had been made since the plane was sent to Australia to fight the unprecedented bushfires.
“Instead, all recovered audio was from a previous flight when the aircraft was operating in the United States,” ATSB Chief Commissioner Greg Hood said.
Mr Hood said recordings of the final moments of aircraft crashes often played a critical role in determining the cause.
Instead, investigators will now have to rely on witness videos and statements, as well as examination of the wreckage, which was spread over hundreds metres of charred ground.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/no-cockpit-recording-found-in-deadly-c-130-crash-investigation-20200228-p54598.html