Yesterday July 9 a lead plane and a large air tanker had a close call while on a retardant dropping sortie on the Washburn Fire in Yosemite National Park.
There was virtually no wind over the fire most of the day and the area was smoked in, causing very poor visibility making it impossible for air tankers to drop on the fire. But by 6 p.m. conditions had improved and at about 6:10 p.m. a lead plane was leading Tanker 103, an MD-87, over a target when they saw a falling tree branch above the lead plane. It fell between the two aircraft, in front of the tanker.
Twitter user Robert, @Rob_on_sisukas, captured an audio recording of the radio conversation.
LEAD PLANE: Hey I just want to let you know that a branch went right over the top of us, pretty good size, probably 50 feet above us coming down and fell right in between Tanker 103 and myself.
AIR ATTACK: OK. Copy. So it’s repeat of yesterday’s (unintelligible)
LEAD PLANE: That’s exactly what I’m getting at. So if we keep seeing that we might have to knock it off. I don’t want to take a chance on busting a window in an airplane or hurting an aircraft for this.
AIR ATTACK: Absolutely. Keep me updated on this.
#WashburnFire interesting little chat. Near miss with a tree branch and Air Attack and Tanker 103. As civilians, we just see planes dropping loads. But listen to this choreography that goes on behind the scenes of fire. pic.twitter.com/Dn2CcTZ7qV
— Robert (@Rob_on_sisukas) July 10, 2022
When a fire is burning intensely in an unstable atmosphere the convection in the rising smoke column can be powered by a tremendous amount of energy. As air at ground level rushes in to take the place of the rising column, the developing horizontal wind and the fresh oxygen feed the fire, causing an even higher level of intensity. The horizontal and then vertical movement of air can sometimes transport unexpectedly large objects up into the sky. Large columns may rotate as they rise and in extreme cases can actually become a fire tornado. You don’t want to be nearby when that happens. Fire tornados are not to be confused with small dust devils or fire whirls.
What is surprising about the incident yesterday is that the fire was smoked in most of the day, and tankers could not fly until about 6 p.m. I looked at various AlertWildfire cameras a few times and did not see any smoke columns. Maybe the cameras I saw were not able to see all of the fire, but I remember that late in the afternoon fire activity increased at the Sierra Fire Watch camera below, and columns may have developed.
Firefighting aircraft being damaged by debris being lofted into the air over a fire is not unheard of. Here’s part of an article I wrote for Wildfire Today in 2018:
During the large vegetation fires in southern California in 2003 some of the convection columns were so powerful that the windshields on six air tankers were cracked by chunks of debris that were being hurled into the air (page D-6 in 2003 California Governor’s Blue Ribbon Report; huge 20 Mb file). One pilot saw a four by eight sheet of plywood sail past at 1,500 feet.
As of late morning today, July 10, the Washburn Fire has burned about 1,800 acres in Yosemite National Park. About 300 of those acres are in the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoia trees, some of them 3,000 years old.
(Update: the day before, an air tanker was hit by an object while over the same fire.)
The article was edited July 12 to show that it was not a dispatcher speaking to the air tanker pilot, but was air attack, according to someone who was on scene.
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Kelly.
Not one to say, “I told you so,” but some years ago I commented on large burning materials and tree parts and chunks of wood bigger than 2X4’s in the air (ala branches, etc), and was ridiculed and called a liar.
It’s certainly not constantly raining down by any stretch, nor flying up, but there’s plenty of debris over fires; enough so that it’s not uncommon. Close calls with that debris are not common, but it happens.
Typical…ridiculed. By ground or air types
Being a low time pilot and certain high enough as an aerial observer over a fire 1500-2500 AGL, one can certainly see “stuff” being tossed around by spring /summer convection and fire produced convection, I “ain’t” ever going to call a pilot a liar.
Some of those folks need a lil education
Sometimes, the “ trees” won’t stay on the ground, in the “Sky to Mud”. Environment!
The “Tree Strike”scene, in the Movie “Always”, comes to mind.
mayday, mayday, mayday! tree Strike, tree Strike, tree Strike!
a “Collision Is always possible in this environment, cuz it’s all On the “Razors Edge”! it’s a “War”! Ground attack, whether it be in a fire, or taking on aTank Brigade in the “Fulda Gap”
It pits brave men,and their Aircraft, against risks that the rest of us can hardly imagine.
Good Lord…. A Flaming, 40 Lb. Sheet of Plywood in the “kisser” at 250 kts, Shakes me to the core.
I’ve Seen What Hapens to a “Low Level “Buff” that caught 6 “Honkers” “Armpit to Armpit” at that kind of speed.. including aPartial, windscreen, “Blow In”.
My “Boys. Got her safely on the deck. I was on the Radio Net and “Recovery, at Home Base. it’s Incredible what these Men and women. Sign on the Dotted Line For!
I was on the “hammerhead” as they Rolled to a stop! pandemonium! Fire response. Aircrew, AND, us Ramp “Toads were all pretty Overjoyed! They said their was so many goose feathers and “bits” , the “panel” was just a “swirl”!
safe At “Home Plate!
That’s Air Attack, not a “dispatcher” on the radio traffic.
Bravo 45 (ASM Lead) was talking to Air Attack not a dispatcher.. just confirmed this..
GRACIAS Killer! 🌴
I’ve seen some pretty large (and scary) vegetation over fires. Just another hazard of the business…
In 1971,I was the co-pilot on Tanker 30, a B-17 operated by AeroFlite from Cody, WY and were flying out of Laramie,WY on a fire south of there. As we were coming around the southeast of the fire to get to where we were dropping, we flew under the anvil and hit several big branches, one of which was big enough to leave a dent on the leading edge of the wing. The ash was so bad, we had to clean the windshield every trip. I can appreciate limbs falling out of the air
Yikes Malcolm, I’ve heard similar stories. Glad you’re still around …