Witnesses fighting a fire at Plot Road near Milton on August 17 reported seeing the bucket and longline from the helicopter flown by Allan Tull become entangled in trees before the aircraft crashed, according to the interim report from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.
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“A witness on Plot Road observed the helicopter tracking in a north-easterly direction. A number of witnesses then observed the bucket and longline become tangled in trees at the edge of a clearing, followed by the helicopter colliding with terrain. The pilot was fatally injured and the helicopter was destroyed,” the interim report said.
Mr Tull had earlier that day been fighting a fire in Bomaderry before he was directed south to assist in containing the Kingiman blaze.
“In the afternoon, the pilot of JWB [Alan Tull’s helicopter], in company with another [helicopter] BK 117, was tasked to assist ground‑based fire crews to extinguish fires near Plot Road, Milton. Both helicopters were operating with a Bambi Bucket (bucket) on a longline,” the report said.
“Pilots who were airborne in the same area at the time reported that the wind was 10 to 20 kt from the south east and the visibility was approximately 3 km in the area due to smoke.”
Mr Tull was last seen by the other pilot heading in a south-easterly direction with a full bucket filled from a nearby dam to fight the fire.
The highly regarded and experienced pilot crashed shortly afterwards.
“On arrival at the accident site, ATSB investigators found the main body of the helicopter inverted in a clearing with the bucket and longline still attached,” the report said.
“The bucket was found caught in trees at the edge of the clearing. The tail rotor section was detached and located approximately 21 m from the main wreckage. One main rotor blade had separated from the rotor head and was located approximately 9 m from the helicopter. The other blades remained connected to the main rotor head. Aviation fuel was observed to be leaking from the helicopter; there was no post‑impact fire.”
The investigation is ongoing.