Incident Name: a fire near Sonora, CA
Date: 7/27/82
Personnel: James P. Eakin of Harrisburg PA
Age: 48
Agency/Organization: Sis-Q pilot flying contract to CDF (now CAL FIRE)
Position: Pilot
Summary: James Eakin was flying Tanker 96 on July 27, 1982, when the airtanker struck a tree on its final approach to a fire near Sonora, CA. The aircraft lost some flight controls before crashing. James Eakin was killed.
photo of Tanker 96
Maps
A fire near Sonora. If anyone knows anything more about this accident, please let us know.
Reports, Documentation, Lessons Learned
- Concise Information from the NTSB, FAA, AAP and research by Chris Anderson and Tom Janney:
- 7/27/82, Tanker 96
- 1 killed, James P. Eakin
- Operator: Sis-Q pilot flying contract to CDF (now CAL FIRE)
- Type: S2
- Location: near Sonora CA
- Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT)
- FAA Registration # N416DF (may not be correct)
- NTSB # None
- The NTSB online lookup Utility has no record for 7/27/82.
- NWCG in its 1910 to 1996 Summary Accident Report has this one-line record:
- Year: 1982
- Location: CA
- 1 fatality
- Agency: CDF
- Date: 7/27/82
- California Death Index: James Eakin
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Wildlandfire.com Links:
Media Articles and Reports
Photos, Videos, & Tributes
- James Eakin is on the Memorial Wall in Sacramento, CA
- USFA Memorial Database: James P Eakin
- James Eakin is on the USFA National Memorial Wall in Virginia, under California
Contributors to this article: Chris Anderson, Tom Janney, Mellie
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