Three American firefighters who tragically lost their lives when their airborne water tanker crashed while trying to fight the Australian bushfires have been identified and hailed as heroes.
Captain Ian McBeth, First Officer Paul Hudson, and Flight Engineer Rick DeMorgan Jr. from Montana, Arizona, and Florida respectively were manning the C-130 Hercules aircraft, nicknamed “Zeus,” when they lost control. The plane went down and exploded on impact near Peak View, New South Wales, on Jan. 23, 2020.
All three men were working for Coulson Aviation USA, a private company that assists in wildfire management around the world. Coulson Aviation took to Facebook in the wake of the accident. “Our deepest condolences are with the family and friends of our fallen heroes,” they wrote.
According to the Daily Mail, McBeth, 44, was a married father of three and an experienced pilot who had dedicated years of his life to flying C-130 airplanes. McBeth was a member of the Montana Air National Guard 120th Airlift Wing at the time of his passing.
A firefighting Coulson C-130 air tanker drops fire retardant near a house during the Oakmont Fire on Oct. 15, 2017, near Santa Rosa, California. (Illustration - Getty Images | David McNew)
Hudson, 42, was a 20-year veteran of the United States Marine Corps. Boasting the callsign “Fluffer,” Hudson was also an experienced C-130 pilot. He held Master’s degrees in both business administration and IT management from the Naval Postgraduate School and had just finished building a home with his wife, Noreen, when he passed.
DeMorgan, 43, is survived by two sons. DeMorgan accrued 18 years as a flight engineer on the C-130 with the U.S. Air Force, during which time he amassed 2,000 hours of experience in a combat environment.
“While working in the Snowy Monaro area in southern NSW, Australia contact was lost with one of our large air tankers,” Coulson Aviation explained in a press release shared on Facebook. “The aircraft had departed Richmond, NSW, with a load of retardant and was on a firebombing mission.
“The accident is reported to be extensive,” they added, “and we are deeply saddened to confirm there were 3 fatalities.”
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence offered his condolences on Twitter. “Karen & I send our prayers & deep condolences to the families of the 3 brave American firefighters who died in AUS yesterday while on their way to battle the terrible bushfires,” he wrote.
“Our Nation will always honor the memory of those lost in the line of duty working to help others,” the vice president added.
American first responders have dropped over half a million gallons (1,892,705 liters) of water and fire retardant over the spreading Australian bushfires since arriving to assist on Nov. 5, 2020. Flying up to eight times a day, the crew of each C-130 routinely has to navigate poor visibility due to the thick smoke emanating from the fires on the ground.
The bodies of the three fallen first responders, McBeth, Hudson, and DeMorgan, were retrieved, and their families were expected to arrive in Australia on Jan. 26. Authorities have turned their attention toward determining what precipitated the fatal crash.
As per the Daily Mail, investigators plan to 3-D map the crash site using a drone, collect eyewitness testimonies, analyze weather charts, and compare air traffic control and the airplane’s data for clues as to exactly what transpired; authorities suspect there may be valuable lessons to be learned.
“Today is a stark and horrible reminder of the dangerous conditions that our volunteers, our emergency services personnel across a number of agencies, undertake on a daily basis,” said New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian in a press conference, per CBS Los Angeles.
DeMorgan’s sister also shared a tribute to her sibling and his comrades on Facebook. “To most the sky was the limit,” she wrote, per 7 News; “to them, it was home.”
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