Pilot dies in air tanker crash
August 21, 2009 - 9:00 pm
RENO -- An air tanker battling a wildfire crashed about 125 miles northeast of Reno Thursday, killing the pilot.
The pilot's name was not immediately released.
Kai Olsen of the Central Nevada Interagency Fire Dispatch Center said the plane was a converted one-seat crop duster used for fire suppression. The single-engine aircraft, an Air Tractor 802, is owned by Minuteman Aviation.
Other aircraft continue to fight the 600-acre fire in the northern end of the Clan Alpine Range.
The National Transportation Safety Board has been notified about the 4 p.m. crash.