On Tuesday, October 8th at approximately 2 PM Central Time, a Fire Boss amphibious fire bomber aircraft was lost during a proficiency flight while operating on a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources contract.
The pilot was able to escape the aircraft which then sank into Inguadona Lake in Cass County located Southwest of Minnesota. The aircraft is believed to be in up to 24 feet of water.
“On Tuesday, October 8th, shortly after 2 PM, there was an incident with one of Minnesota DNR’s contracted fire suppression aircraft in Cass County. The incident occurred on Inguadona Lake during a proficiency flight. The pilot is safe and was checked by emergency responders at the scene and released. Support resources are on scene and the appropriate authorities have been notified. The incident is under investigation,” said a statement released from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
The Fire Boss aircraft was owned and operated by Appleton, Minnesota-based aerial firefighting contractor Dauntless Air. The FAA has been advised and will be conducting further investigation into the incident.
Minnesota’s Department of Natural Resources contracts several Fire Boss aircraft around the state each year to cover their bi-modal seasons that run twice a year March-June and September-November.
MNDNR spokesman William Glesener stated that the State of Minnesota has seen over 15,000 acres burned over more than a thousand individual fires this year throughout the state.
