Near Linguaglossa, Sicily
A Canadair CL-215/415 crashed while dropping water on a wildfire on the slopes of the volcano Etna near Linguaglossa, Sicily, Italy today. Both pilots were killed.
It had just released its load, banked sharply to the right, then crashed into the ground.
The registration number of the aircraft was I-DPCN. It was part of a fleet of 19 CL-415s owned by the Dipartimento dei Vigili del Fuoco, del Soccorso Pubblico e della Difesa Civile (Department of firefighters, public rescue and civil defense) but operated by Babcock, the company that provides the Canadair service in Italy as part of an outsourcing contract.
We send out our sincere condolences to the family, friends, and co-workers of the two pilots.
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Mickey.
