Cal Fire S-2T Tanker Plane Crash-Lands, Spills Retardant, Closes Hemet Ryan Air Attack Base

A Cal Fire tanker plane crash-landed Friday at Hemet Ryan Air Attack Base as it returned from fighting a fire in the Good Hope area west of Perris, spilling retardant on the airfield's only runway and partially collapsing its landing gear, authorities said.

The pilot was not injured in the hard landing, which occurred about 5:40 p.m. Oct. 4, Capt. Fernando Herrera said in a phone interview.

Hemet police posted photos of the damaged S-2T, showing the plane stationary at Hemet Ryan in a pool of red retardant.

The pilot had already made one drop on the Rosa Fire, which was reported at 4:47 p.m. near Santa Rosa Mine Road and Christmas Tree Lane in rural Good Hope, according to Battalion Chief Julie Hutchinson.

"I believe they had made one drop, came back, reloaded, and took off to make a second drop," Hutchinson said in a phone interview. "Then they were canceled, so they were trying to return to Hemet Ryan to land. That's when the incident occurred.

"I'm not sure if they kept the whole load or not," Hutchinson said. "Normally they will jettison the load in situations like that. But there was an unknown amount of retardant still on board. How much and how much it weighed, that's something investigators will be looking at."

Landing and take-off patterns were reversed at Hemet Ryan on Friday due to Santa Ana winds blowing out of the east, Hutchinson said.

Normally pilots at Hemet Ryan take off into the west and land in the same direction, but when winds come out of the east like Friday, pilots head up into the wind for takeoffs and landings, she said.

The damaged S-2T remained on the runway Friday night as Cal Fire waited for at least one NTSB investigator, according to Herrera.

"We hope it will be open sometime tomorrow, as soon as possible, so the airport, and air attack can get back in operation," Herrera said.

Cal Fire had two other tanker planes Friday at Hemet Ryan and they have been moved to Ramona Airport in San Diego County, Hutchinson said.

Herrera said he was not sure if strong winds were a factor Friday on the fire in Good Hope, which was declared contained at 10 acres at 5:35 p.m.

Herrera said he believed the winds were not a factor in the landing incident at Hemet Ryan.

"The plane sustained some damage but there was no fire," Herrera said. "It wasn't damaged to where you see an aircraft torn apart."

Statewide, Cal Fire owns and maintains 23 S-2T Gruman air tankers.

"This serves as a stark reminder of the danger of our profession," Cal Fire Director Ken Pimlott said in a statement. "We must continue to keep public and firefighter safety a priority, especially during these Red Flag conditions."

High wind and red flag warnings for heightened fire potential across most of Southern California remained in effect through Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.