The U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have permanently grounded Lockheed C-130A and Consolidated Vultee PB4Y aircraft, eliminating 11 of 40 tankers that make up the U.S. aerial firefighting fleet. Both aircraft types suffered wing losses while delivering fire retardant last summer, killing five crewmembers (AW&ST Aug. 5, p. 49; June 24, p. 56). The government action came on the heels of an independent review that found aging air tankers, as currendy certified, inspected and maintained, are "unsustainable." The Blue Ribbon Commission on Wildland Aerial Firefighting reported there is no engineering basis for ensuring the air tankers are safe to fly in the fire-suppression role (AW&ST Dec. 9, p. 20).
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