Fire Tanker Plane Crew Safe After Emergency Landing in Chico
Fire Tanker Plane Crew Safe After Emergency Landing in Chico
1 July 2016
published by www.actionnewsnow.com
USA — An aerial fire tanker crew of four is safe after a mechanical problem forced their aircraft to make an emergency landing at the Chico Airport Thursday morning.
According to a Chico Fire Department spokesperson, the DC-7 Erickson Aero Tanker crew had just took off from Chico on a training run around 10:15 a.m. when they noticed a possible problem with its hydraulics. The crew reported the problem to the tower and headed back to the airport.
As soon as emergency crews were in place, the aircraft, loaded with about 2,000 gallons of fuel, began its approach back to the airport. As the video shows, the DC-7 came down smooth and straight for its landing. Shortly after touchdown, the crew activated its emergency braking system. Heavy smoke could be seen coming from the wheels before three of the wheels erupted in flames as the plane came to a stop.
Fire crews rushed to the aircraft to put out the fire and cool down the landing gear. There were no injuries. Maintenance crews are now investigating the cause of the malfunction.
