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Pilot Radioed: 'I'm Going Down' Seconds Before Crash
Firefighting Plane Crashed Fighting Fort Carson Fire
POSTED: 10:54 am MDT April 24, 2008
UPDATED: 11:20 am MDT April 24, 2008
FORT CARSON, Colo. -- A pilot killed when his firefighting plane crashed during a wildfire at Fort Carson reported a series of maydays and said "I'm going down," seconds after dropping retardant near the Army post. That's according to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the crash that killed 42-year-old Gert Marais of Fort Benton, Mont., on April 15. The report does not say what caused the crash but gives a preliminary description of what happened that day.
It says gusts were reported at about 35 to 45 miles per hour. Marais' single-engine air tanker, registered to Aero-Applicators Incorporated of Sterling (Colorado), had been summoned to help with fire suppression.That fire burned about 14 square miles in a remote area of Fort Carson.The Army announced Tuesday the fire was fully contained.
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Previous Stories:
- April 19, 2008: Ordway Fire Human Caused; Fort Carson Fire 75% Contained
- April 16, 2008: Two Fires Contained, One Remains
- April 16, 2008: Weather Could Help Extinguish Fires That Killed 3
- April 16, 2008: Wildfires Rage In Ordway, Carbondale, Fort Carson
- April 15, 2008: Pilot Fighting Fort Carson Fire Dies In Plane Crash
Copyright 2008 by TheDenverChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
