ARFF Daily News

Wednesday the 30th of April, 2025

These are your stories to close out the month of April.

Of note, seems like there may be some progress in a temporary restoration of some NIOSH programs that have a bearing on firefighter health and safety, we'll see.....

Be safe out there!

Tom

Seaplane on Student Flight from Flagler Airport Flips and Crashes in Crescent Lake; No Injuries

FlaglerLive

A flight-school seaplane reported to have taken off from Flagler County Executive Airport this morning flipped and crashed in Crescent Lake, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office. There were no injuries. The crash took place as a groundbreaking ceremony was unfolding at the Flagler airport.

“At about 10:15 a.m. we received a phone call that a resident saw a plane flip in the water near Bear Island,” a Putnam County Sheriff’s statement on the agency’s Facebook page states. “A nearby resident took his boat to the plane as rescue crews traveled in route. The pilot and co-pilot were safety recovered from the plane with no known injuries. The two-seater seaplane is a fixed-wing single-engine that reportedly took off from Flagler County’s airport as part of a flight from an aviation school.”

Bear Island is equidistant from the shores of Flagler County to the east and Putnam County and Crescent City to the west, and a little more than halfway south along Crescent Lake, which stretches north to south.

The plane would have taken off from Flagler County’s airport around the time when airport and officials in Flagler were marking the groundbreaking of a new airside operations building. The event took place as fixed-wing planes took off and landed at regular intervals.

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office was the initial responder on scene. The Florida Highway Patrol conducted the preliminary investigation before turning it over to the National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates all plane crashes. If it is determined that the plane crashed on Flagler County’s side of the lake, it would be the second plane crash this year in the county (and the 25th in the state). The first, in mid-February, took the life of a veteran skydiving pilot, Thomas Harvey, when his Eagle Air Transport Plane crashed in an isolated part of southwest Flagler County.

https://flaglerlive.com/crescent-lake-crash/

Small plane carrying 1 crashed east of St. John's, search ongoing for pilot

Plane departed from United States, search crews on the scene

Alex Kennedy, Malone Mullin · CBC News

Search and rescue crews are still looking for the pilot of a small plane that crashed east of St. John's early Tuesday morning.

The plane, an Air Tractor AT-802, crashed approximately 130 nautical miles, or 240 kilometres, east of St. John's, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said in an email to CBC News just after 2 p.m. NT.

The crash is assumed to have happened around 8:40 a.m. on Tuesday.

Speaking with CBC News, Lt.-Cmdr. Len Hickey of the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax said the centre received an emergency beacon and sent rescuers to the area.

The plane had a solo male occupant, Hickey said.

"One pontoon of the aircraft was spotted on the surface, as well as an orange life raft. There was also a little bit of debris, and the Cormorant helicopter did confirm that that life raft is empty," Hickey told CBC News.

Hickey originally told CBC News the plane had departed from the United States. In a further update just after 3 p.m., the TSB said the plane had departed from St. John's International Airport and was being ferried to Portugal.

In a later update at 6 p.m., Hickey said the flight plan showed the American-owned plane heading for the Azores — an archipelago of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean.

Hickey also said search conditions have worsened Tuesday evening, noting the ceiling has dropped to 200 feet and visibility is low. 

Searchers have also found an oil slick on the water near the crash site. That discovery "pieces the story together a little bit," he said.

Several air vehicles and vessels remain on the scene, Hickey said, including a Hercules aircraft, Cormorant helicopter, a Cougar Airlines helicopter, a PAL Airlines aircraft, a Canadian Coast Guard vessel and two fishing vessels already in the area.

Ships and aircraft will stay in the area overnight and reassess in the morning, he said. 

The AT-802 is a single-engine propeller plane that Air Tractor bills as an agricultural craft, often used for spraying pesticides. It can also be adapted for firefighting purposes.

Schematics on the corporate website say the plane has a 60-foot wingspan.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/nl-plane-crash-1.7521775

Plane crash in Tehama County leaves one dead, one injured

by Ashley Harting, Tyler Van Dyke

COTTONWOOD, Calif. — A small-plane crash in Tehama County on Tuesday evening resulted in the death of the pilot and injuries to a second individual on the plane. The crash occurred near Phyllis Road in Cottonwood at approximately 3:35 p.m., according to the Tehama County Sheriff's Office.

Emergency responders, including the Tehama County Sheriff's Department, Cal Fire, and medical personnel, were dispatched to the crash site. The Tehama County Sheriff's Office reported that two people were aboard the aircraft. One individual managed to extricate himself from the wreckage and received medical treatment on-site before being airlifted to a hospital.

The pilot succumbed to his injuries sustained in the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are expected to arrive on Wednesday morning to conduct an investigation into the incident.

Further details will be provided as they become available.

https://krcrtv.com/news/local/small-plane-crashes-near-phyllis-road-in-cottonwood-officials-investigating#

NIOSH firefighter programs to be temporarily restored following ‘misinterpreted executive order’

IAFF President Ed Kelly says talks with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have heightened attention on saving some firefighter health and safety programs

FireRescue1 Staff

WASHINGTON — The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) announced Tuesday that some NIOSH programs focused on firefighter health and safety will be restored following a “misinterpreted executive order” that resulted in dozens of layoffs to programs like the Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program, the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer, and the World Trade Center Health Program.

The IAFF media advisory indicated that IAFF President Ed Kelly has been working with the Trump administration to protect these programs. Kelly shared the following message with IAFF members:

“This past Saturday, I spoke with both the White House and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to discuss these programs. Yesterday, I was notified that HHS had begun restoring these programs, and staff would be returning to their roles as early as today. It was explained to me that the Reduction in Force (RIF) ordered by a White House Executive Order was misinterpreted by ‘mid-level bureaucrats,’ and our programs – which Secretary Kennedy assured me were ‘critical’ – would continue. Secretary Kennedy and I also discussed meaningful ways to improve the programs to better serve our members. Thanks to our advocacy, these programs will continue. I am confident that the IAFF’s voice will continue to be heard as we work together to improve these programs and make our dangerous jobs as safe as possible.”

Kelly went on to say that there’s no question that the federal government can operate more efficiently, but that efficiency should never come at the expense of those who risk their lives to protect others.

Kennedy Jr. praised firefighters on X, adding that “critical services of NIOSH will remain intact.”

FireRescue1 reached out to NIOSH staff members impacted by the recent reduction in force (RIF) notifications sent to dozens of employees working for the firefighter health and safety programs. One staff member, who requested anonymity, said it’s important to acknowledge that these moves to restore the firefighter programs are only temporary, as some NIOSH staff still have termination dates in June and have been asked to complete their existing work in the next few weeks. This information is confirmed by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) in a recent Facebook post:

Additionally, FireRescue1 obtained a copy of a letter from Cathy Tinney-Zara, president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 3430, that also confirmed the temporary nature of the NIOSH staff callbacks:

“We are encouraged by the decision to temporarily call back several NIOSH employees. This action, though temporary, allows these dedicated professionals to return to their critical roles in advancing worker safety and health across the country. Their return means renewed momentum for life-saving research, outreach, and interventions that protect workers in high-risk industries and help prevent illness, injury, and death on the job. However, it is important to note that these employees remain on the Reduction in Force (RIF) list and are still scheduled for termination on June 2nd. This reinstatement does not include all impacted employees. The focus of the recall appears to center on programs currently in the media spotlight—namely, the Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program (CWHSP) and the Fire Fighters’ Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program (FFFIPP).”

One NIOSH employee said they believe the administration is now working to determine how to keep firefighter program employees without enacting formal RIF procedures.

“Until I see [confirmation of programs being restored], I don’t believe it,” the employee added.

https://www.firerescue1.com/niosh/iaff-niosh-firefighter-programs-to-be-temporarily-restored-following-misinterpreted-executive-order?utm_source=delivra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=FR1-Daily-4-29-25&utm_id=8848699&dlv-emuid=9c0314f9-5981-4116-829e-b1dbfc42eda9&dlv-mlid=8848699

NTSB Final Report: Cessna 172S

Pilot’s Failure To Maintain Airplane Control During Final Approach After Encountering An Unexpected Windshear

Location: Air Force Academy, Colorado Accident Number: CEN25LA088
Date & Time: January 27, 2025, 09:30 Local Registration: N51387
Aircraft: Cessna 172S Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Loss of control in flight Injuries: 2 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Instructional

Analysis: According to the pilot, about 150 ft above ground level, the airplane encountered an unexpected windshear which resulted in a “significant sink rate” and loss of about 10 knots of airspeed. The pilot attempted to arrest the descent by adding engine power but was unsuccessful. The airplane landed hard, bounced, and then settled on the runway. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the firewall. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Probable Cause and Findings: The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be -- The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during final approach after encountering an unexpected windshear.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov

Today in History

43 Years ago today: On 30 April 1982 An Okanagan Helicopters Sikorsky S-76 crashed in the Gulf of Thailand, killing all 13 occupants.

Date: Friday 30 April 1982

Time:

Type: Sikorsky S-76A

Owner/operator: Okanagan Helicopters

Registration: C-GIMF

MSN: 760038

Total airframe hrs: 2255 hours

Fatalities: Fatalities: 13 / Occupants: 13

Other fatalities: 0

Aircraft damage: Destroyed

Category: Accident

Location: 105 km NNE off Songkhla, Gulf of Thailand -   Thailand

Phase: En route

Nature: Offshore

Departure airport: Songkhla

Destination airport: Erawan LQ

Confidence Rating:  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:

An Okanagan Helicopters Sikorsky S-76 crashed in the Gulf of Thailand, killing all 13 occupants.

The helicopter departed 07:13 for a gas field in the sea. The flight was heading 020 degrees at 5000 ft and cruising at 130 kt. The pilot reported check point A at 07:30 and estimated check point B at 07:44. At 0744 the pilot transmitted a mayday and reported partial loss of tail rotor control. He entered autorotation and slowed to 90 kt, but was unable to stop the aircraft from rotating. His last transmission was at 1000 ft. Debris and an oil slick were found at lat. 08 deg 06 min n long. 100 deg 57 min e.

The wreckage was retrieved from the sea 6 days after the accident. The left tail rotor control cable was fractured due to a combination of wear, rapid fatigue and tensile overload, probably caused by improper rigging.

Crashed into sea following loss of tail rotor control. A tail rotor control cable had been routed over a stainless steel grommet in the area of pulleys (2) under the Main Gear Box. The bracket holding these pulleys did not allow for visual confirmation of the routing. With a broken tail rotor control cable at that time, the tail rotor went immediately to full pitch, a condition from which a recovery was not possible.

A self centering device like that of the H-60 was later added which, under the same circumstances, would result in the T/R centering allowing a run-on landing to be performed. In September 1983 a US-registered S-76 (N521AC) ditched in Lake Michigan following loss of tail rotor control.