Pilots Killed in Caliente Two-Plane Crash Identified as David Haynes and Scott Thomas

Staff Writer August 22, 2020 365 Views

The Federal Aviation Administration has identified the two air tanker pilots, who died last month after their planes collided while fighting a wildfire in Caliente, Nevada. Clark County authorities disclosed their names on Wednesday, August 19, as David Blake Haynes and Scott Thomas.

Preliminary investigations conducted by the FAA showed that two single-engine airplanes were airborne, fighting the Bishop Fire, near Caliente. The two Air Tractor AT8T crafts collided mid-air during the operation, at precisely 1 p.m. on Thursday, July 30, as per the accident reports.

The impact of the collision sent them crashing to the ground, near the intersection of Kane Springs and Riggs Road. Haynes and Thomas, hired under contract to assist in the fire control efforts, were the sole occupants of their respective planes. No other casualty resulted from the incident.

FAA investigators did not immediately establish what caused the two planes to collide. The agency is still investigating the two-plane crash, assisted by the National Transportation Safety Board.

Major causes of plane crash include mechanical failure, unfavorable weather conditions, and fatigue. Among professional pilots, however, a slight deviation from the assigned flight route approved by the Federal Aviation Administration is a leading contributor to aircraft accidents. There are also cases of aircraft crashing into raised mountainous terrains, which may take weeks or months to locate the wreckage.

Despite the high risk associated with air travel, it remains one of the most practicable and effective. Hence its rising demand in covering long distances, military affairs, and controlling fire outbreaks.

Disclaimer: The Accident News article you just read includes information obtained from numerous sources. These sources include, but are not limited to, websites and press releases from law enforcement, the county coroner, fire departments, and other news outlets. While we strive to provide readers with the most accurate information, sometimes the information received is not entirely accurate. For complete details, please refer to an official police report.

The articles published contain sensitive subject matter that may be hard to read by some. We understand that losing a loved one is hard and devastating. Accident News’s decision to share the stories is to help others who may be facing the same situations by providing appropriate resources to the general public.

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