Late on the evening of Thursday, July 25th, a Single Engine Air Tanker fighting a fire north of Burns, Oregon, was reported missing after not returning from a fire mission before sunset.
Searches by aerial firefighting aircraft in the area continued until sunset while emergency services, including the Oregon National Guard, continued searching for the aircraft overnight. The SEAT aircraft belonging to North Dakota-based Aerial Timber Applicators was located this morning after an extensive search, and the pilot was confirmed lost in the crash.
This SEAT crash is the third for the 2024 season after the loss of a SEAT in New Mexico and the loss of Fire Boss in Montana on July 10th.
The NTSB will complete an investigation into the cause of the crash.
