S-2T Air Tanker Crash Kills Pilot

Bethany Whitfield

Thursday, October 09, 2014 at 07:01 PM ET

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Dog Rock Fire (Photo: Yosemite National Park)

Key Takeaways:

A 62-year-old pilot, Geoffrey "Craig" Hunt, died when his S-2T air tanker crashed during a firefighting mission at Yosemite National Park.
The crash occurred under unknown circumstances, though a witness reported the airplane hit a canyon wall and exploded on impact.
Hunt was employed by DynCorp International, flying one of Cal Fire's S-2T air tankers.
Cal Fire has grounded its entire fleet of 22 S-2T air tankers, capable of carrying 1,200 gallons of retardant, pending clearance for service after the incident.

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The sole pilot aboard an S-2T died on Tuesday when the air tanker crashed during a firefighting mission at Yosemite National Park.

The pilot has been identified as 62-year-old Geoffrey “Craig” Hunt. The FAA said the airplane went down “under unknown circumstances,” but a California Highway Patrol officer who witnessed the crash says the airplane hit the side of a canyon wall near the Arch Rock entrance. The crash occurred around 4:30 p.m., and the airplane reportedly exploded on impact.