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REGINA — Saskatchewan is pausing three planes from wildfire missions because of a fatal crash involving the same aircraft model in the Northwest Territories.
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency said it’s conducting a full review of the three bird dog planes, which are used as airborne command centres to co-ordinate firefighting operations, out of an abundance of caution.
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“The safety of our pilots, crews and the public is our highest priority,” Marlo Pritchard, president and fire commissioner with the agency, said in a news release Friday.
“While these aircraft are critical to our wildfire response operations, we are taking a proactive approach to ensure their continued safety and reliability.”
Three people were on board a Turbo Commander 690 that crashed near Fort Simpson, N.W.T., west of Yellowknife, on June 24 while it was providing tactical support for a water bomber.
All three were killed.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada said in an investigation update that the plane suffered an in-flight breakup before hitting the ground.
On Friday, Buffalo Airways identified the pilot killed as Robert MacLeod. It said his career spanned 25 years and he served as a bird dog captain for Buffalo Airways for the past three seasons.
“Known for his calm leadership, professionalism and steady presence in high-risk environments, Robert made significant contributions to aerial wildfire response across Canada,” Buffalo Airways said in a social media post Friday.
A social media post from NWT Fire earlier said firefighters Olivier Lamy and Ryan Beck also died in the crash.
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency said the province still has four bird dogs available to support wildfire suppression across the province, and has brought in extra aircraft, including a bird dog, from outside the province.
“We will continue to monitor the situation closely and will return the aircraft to service only after all required inspections have been completed and any necessary followup actions have been addressed,” the agency’s release said.
The Transportation Safety Board’s update on the June 24 crash near Fort Simpson said the plane’s left wing, horizontal stabilizer and vertical stabilizer couldn’t be found at the crash site, and attempts to locate the missing parts during an aerial search were unsuccessful.
The update noted there was still an active forest fire in the immediate vicinity when searchers were looking for the missing parts, and the investigation team had to evacuate Fort Simpson the following day.
Fort Simpson has been under an evacuation order because of a threatening wildfire since June 28.
“Once the aircraft has been recovered and the left wing, horizontal stabilizer and vertical stabilizer have been recovered, an analysis can begin on what led to the in-flight breakup,” said the safety board’s update, which was posted to its website earlier this month.
It said a salvage plan is being developed for when the area is deemed safe to enter.
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