Air Tanker Crashes Yosemite: Pilot Killed While Saving Lives, Why Did S-2T Tanker Crash While Fighting Yosemite Park Wildfire? [VIDEO + REPORT]

Air tanker crashes Yosemite - An air tanker crashes at Yosemite National Park, killing the pilot of a single-person airtanker Tuesday afternoon. The air tanker crashes Yosemite incident occurred as the pilot was saving lives, fighting a rapidly spreading wildfire at Yosemite National Park, said state fire officials late Tuesday.

A statement from Cal Fire (.pdf) said emergency personnel were able to determine that the pilot on board the air tanker died after they accessed the plane.

According to Spokesman Daniel Berlant from Cal Fire, the plane involved in the air tanker crashes Yosemite incident was one of the state's S-2T air tankers. It was made originally for the Navy and had only been converted into a tanker by the agency to fight wildfires.

At the time of the air tanker crashes Yosemite accident, the S-2T had been assigned to the Dog Rock fire burning near Yosemite's Arch Rock, according to USA Today.

According to federal and local officials, the fire occurred around 2:45 p.m. PT near the Foresta community in West of the park. The damage already included 130 acres burnt in only two hours.

The air tanker crashes Yosemite misfortune occurred about 4:26 p.m. (7:26 p.m. ET), two hours after the fire began, according to NBC News.

The fire spread rapidly to 130 acres in just hours, prompting the evacuation of about 60 homes in the nearby community of Foresta, said Cal Fire. The agency added that State Highway 140 or El Portal Road had been closed and isn't going to reopen any time soon.

While the air tanker crashes fighting the Yosemite fire, firefighters on ground attacked the fire with ground crews. The cause of the fire is still undergoing investigation.

Crews eventually found debris from the air tanker crashes Yosemite mishap after it disappeared while flying over the fire in Yosemite, reports CBS San Francisco.

Sgt. Chris Michael of the California Highway Patrol told The Associated Press he witnessed the air tanker crashes Yosemite incident about 4:24 p.m. while he was stopping traffic along state Route 140 at the Arch Rock entrance to the park.

"I heard a large explosion, I looked up on the steep canyon wall and saw aircraft debris was actually raining down the side of the mountain after the impact," said Michael.

"It hit the steep side of the canyon wall. It appeared from the direction he was going, he was trying to make a drop down the side of the canyon when he hit the canyon wall," he added.

Fire officials are not releasing the name of the deceased pilot until all immediate family members have been notified.

"This crash underscores just how inherently dangerous wildland firefighting is, and the job is further compounded this year by extreme fire conditions," said Director Ken Pimlott of CalFire.

"We have secured the crash site and will be cooperating with the NTSB on their investigation," he added.

National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration investigators are expected at the scene of the air tanker crashes Yosemite accident early Wednesday, said FAA spokesman Ian Gregor.

He also said authorities reported that the pilot was the only person believed to be on board the plane. He added that the circumstances which led to the air tanker crashes Yosemite accident is still unknown.

The fallen ST-2 air tanker had been manufactured by Grumman Aerospace as the S-2E/G, a carrier-based anti-submarine warfare aircraft. The planes began manufacturing from 1958 to 1975, said the state fire agency via its website.

23 such aircrafts are reportedly being used by the state since the 1970s. In 2005, the state brought in three newly reconditioned planes.

The aircraft involved in the air tanker crashes Yosemite accident is a twin turbo-prop aircraft, able to carry 1,200 gallons of fire retardant. The air tankers are reportedly used to dump the liquid on critical wildfire areas, according to the agency says.

The plane that crashed was reportedly reconditioned in 2001. It was registered to the U.S. Forest Service, with California's state fire agency listed as an additional owner.

The U.S. Forest Service has been using several converted military aircraft to fight wildfires. Some even date to the World War II era.

The air tanker crashes Yosemite incident is only among the many firefighting aircraft-involved accidents where people have died. According to USA Today, more than two dozen people in recent years becaue of this. Meanwhile, the government has reporteldy begun using newer jet planes already, including converted versions of the large DC-10 for firefighting.