Fatal Wildfire Airliner Accident Near Cold Lake, Alberta

Incident Overview and Aircraft Details In May 2015, a Conair amphibious float-equipped Air Tractor AT-802A Fire Boss, registered as C-FDHV with serial number 802A-0348, was involved in a fatal accident while supporting wildfire management operations. The aircraft, designated as Tanker 692, was operating 25 nautical miles northwest of Cold Lake, Alberta. It was the last in a formation of four AT-802A Fire Boss aircraft, followed by two CL-215T aircraft, all operated by Conair Group Inc. ## Sequence of Events Tanker 692 had completed two water drops on the fire, moving from west to east with a turnout to the north. While exiting its third drop, the aircraft encountered severe turbulence and pitched into a nose-up attitude. It climbed to approximately 400–500 feet above ground level before rolling to the left and entering a nose-down attitude. The aircraft struck the ground right-wing low and close to nose-level at 1630 Mountain Daylight Time. ## Outcome and Investigation The pilot was fatally injured due to non-survivable impact forces, and there was no post-impact fire. The event was classified as a Class 3 investigation, which analyzes a small number of safety issues and may result in recommendations. These investigations are generally completed within 450 days. A news release dated August 11, 2016, indicated that a fire whirl led to the loss of control and impact with the ground.