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Michael Harlow Davis

Engineer

Pilot Wass, Co-Pilot Lebare, and Flight Engineer Davis were the crew of a C-130A airtanker fighting a fire near Walker, California.As the aircraft began to make a slurry drop run, the wings of the aircraft separated from the main body of the plane (fuselage) near the wing roots. Fire was ignited in the area of the separated wings and the aircraft crashed. All 3 crew members were killed.The aircraft involved in this incident was manufactured by Lockheed in 1957 and placed in service by the Air Force. The C-130 is a 4-engine turboprop aircraft. This aircraft began its civil aviation career in 1988. The wildland firefighting version of the C-130A is capable of delivering 3,000 gallons of firefighting agent. An initial evaluation of the plane’s records by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found that the plane had accumulated over 20,000 flight hours.The wildland fire eventually consumed over 15,000 acres north of Yosemite National Park.In December of 2002, the United States Forest Service permanently grounded all C-130A aircraft in its fleet, as well as the PB4Y-2 aircraft. A PB4Y-2 was involved in a fatal crash later in the summer.NTSB accident number LAX02GA201 can be located through the NTSB aviation accident database at www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/query.asp
photo of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial
Michael Harlow Davis was honored on the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Emmitsburg, Maryland and was included in the USFA’s annual report Firefighter Fatalities in the United States.

Department information

Hawkins and Powers Aviation under contract to USFS
USFS - Sierra Front Interagency Cooperators
2311 Firebrand Circle
Minden, Nevada 89432

Chief: NA

Age: 59
Rank: Engineer
Classification: Career
Incident date: June 17, 2002 14:45
Date of death: June 17, 2002
Cause of fatal injury: Vehicle Collision - Includes Aircraft
Nature of fatal injury: Trauma
Activity type: Driving/Operating Vehicle/Apparatus
Emergency duty: Yes
Duty type: On-Scene Fire
Fixed property use: Outdoor Property

Last updated: March 27, 2018