Published • loading... • Updated
Saskatchewan Grounding 3 Wildfire Planes that Are Same Model as One in N.W.T. Crash
The province will use four other bird dog planes and bring in extra aircraft while inspections and follow-up actions are completed.
- On Friday, The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency temporarily grounded three bird dog aircraft from wildfire activities pending a comprehensive safety review, citing an "abundance of caution" following a fatal crash in the Northwest Territories.
- A fatal June 24 crash near Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories, involving a Turbo Commander 690 bird dog plane prompted the decision; the Transportation Safety Board of Canada determined the aircraft suffered an in-flight breakup, killing pilot Robert MacLeod and firefighters Olivier Lamy and Ryan Beck.
- "The safety of our pilots, crews and the public is our highest priority," Fire Commissioner Marlo Pritchard said. The SPSA has four other bird dog planes available and is securing additional aircraft via mutual-aid agreements to sustain wildfire response operations.
- With 70 wildfires actively burning across Saskatchewan as of Friday, the SPSA reconfigured its aircraft groupings and operational assignments to maintain wildfire suppression efforts and ensure continued support for response activities throughout the province.
- A recent provincial auditor's report found Saskatchewan has two of 10 air tankers offline since 2024 awaiting repairs, and noted the agency has not conducted a recent assessment of its air fleet as part of its capital budgeting process.
Insights by Ground AI
39 Articles
39 Articles
The Toronto Star+27 Reposted by 27 other sources
Saskatchewan grounding 3 wildfire planes that are same model as one in N.W.T. crash
REGINA - Saskatchewan is pausing three planes from wildfire missions because of a fatal crash involving the same aircraft model in the Northwest Territories.
·Toronto, Canada
Read Full Article
SPSA suspendsthree Bird Dog aircraft pending a safety review
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) is temporarily pausing three Bird Dog aircraft from aerial wildfire suppression activities pending a comprehensive safety review. According to a news release from the agency, the three aircraft are the same model as the one that crashed June 24 in the Northwest Territories. All three people on board that plane were killed. “Out of an abundance of caution,” the SPSA said it is proactively conducting …
Coverage Details
Total News Sources39
Leaning Left21Leaning Right1Center12Last UpdatedBias Distribution62% Left
Bias Distribution
- 62% of the sources lean Left
62% Left
L 62%
C 35%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
