U.S. May Return Some Air Tankers to Fire Lines
The U.S. Forest Service’s national fire plan coordinator told Western governors that the agency was prepared to consider returning a limited number of heavy air tankers to fire lines following a move to ground the aircraft over safety concerns.
Corbin Newman, addressing the Western Governors Assn. in Santa Fe, N.M., said the Forest Service had agreed to a plan with federal transportation officials to review proposals from new contractors to fly the tankers.
Officials will scrutinize maintenance information, previous inspections and other documents about the aircraft’s flying life before considering its return to service, Newman said.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
