Met her once she was a good pilot and a good person I’m saddened by her loss

I am retired but used to work in the aviation industry. I have utter respect for those who do this job. RIP.

My heart goes out to her and her family. In my 30 years of being a pastor, I, unfortunately, buried two helicopter pilots working wildfires in Idaho. I know absolutely nothing about flying, but I know a lot about grief and loss. The one thing I know after presiding at these two funerals is that fire creates really, really dangerous flying conditions. Let’s pray that her life is the only one that has been lost this fire season, especially since in Reno, Nevada, my high temperature today (July 12, 2024) was 108F.

Rest in peace. Fire bosses from the Columbia Gorge regional airport have been zooming over my house lately as they climb off the Columbia river. They really fill a vital role.

Another hidden hazard is the possibility of a partially submerged deadhead in the plane's path. Not always easy to spot even in good visibility. Condolences to her family and friends.

That water loading procedure looks like a handful.

@Blancolirio It’s not really a Pilot Induced Oscillation (PIO) It’s an aircraft induced oscillation you are trying to control… when you you touch down on the water at idle or low power setting, the drag pitches the nose forward a bit. Then when we deploy the scoops, that is a big increase in drag and pitch forward (We call the button on the joystick that deploys the scoops the”Rodeo Button”) At the same time you start adding power because the Fire Boss is now slowing rapidly. The PT6A-67F engine is a big turbine for a single engine aircraft producing 1600 horsepower. As you know the larger the turbine the more turbine lag…you go from very little thrust ..a delay.. then lots of thrust and you can easily over torque the engine, so you are working the throttle quite a bit and watching the engine gauge closely on top of everything else. Now the water is oscillating in the tanks, drag is increasing as you accelerate, which oscillates the water more, torque is pulling the aircraft quite hard to the left. Any waves, wake (both boat and other planes scooping) adds to the oscillation. Then the drag of the scoops stops and the aircraft pitches back… both from reduced drag and engine power kicking in. But at 16,000. Pounds the plane isn’t ready to fly, so push forward and the water in the tanks is moving in a different direction. This all happens in 15 seconds The pilot can make it worse by mistiming control inputs trying to manage the oscillation… It’s the most challenging and most rewarding flying I have ever done. Rest in peace Juliana, I congratulated you when you were hired and know you were on top of the world starting your Fire Boss journey. We are terribly saddened you are gone and I can’t imagine what your family is trying to process. I’ve posted scoops and drops of a few fires on instagram @squawk7500 if you’re interested Thank you for taking the time to read this.

I live around this area and have seen Fire Boss 205 many times, and have flown into KCOE several times. It’s so tragic, I can’t imagine what her family must be feeling. I hope their hearts are eased knowing she went out trying to save lives. Rest in peace.

My hat always goes off to the brave men and women that respond to emergency disaster situations. Most of us would run away from the danger..........these folks tackle it head on. RIP Julianna and condolences to the families.

RIP. I am so grateful for the people who fight fires here in MT.

As a retired wild-land firefighter and spotter pilot I feel for her family. She was doing something that not many people can or will do. Rest in peace!

A very tragic loss of a lovely young lady doing an incredibly challenging job. RIP and condolences to her family

Very sad indeed! Condolences to all who knew her. 🙏

My house is on the satalite view early in the video. The whole city of Helena is in shock. So unbelievably sad. Word on the street is that a wave hit a wing tip and sent it spinning. These brave pilots are amazing, and I can't thank them enough.

All air accidents are terrible...but when we lose someone dedicated to helping others and providing sterling service...it's even harder. Condolences to her family and I hear she has a 17 year old son...

A buddy used to fly the AG version in Colorado. After a spraying run he found himself simply running out of lift and crashed the plane (he walked away!). Even with all his experience he had a bad day. Looking at her approach to the water it makes me wonder if she blundered into a area of air coming down the mountain face and simply lost lift. Way too many failure modes to narrow things down now. Really hard to loose talented pilots like this. :^(

Is there a good reason the tank is not extensively baffled to prevent sloshing? The notion of 'learning to live with' the sloshing seems utterly baffling.

What an adventurous person. Becoming a pilot, moving from Brazil, doing this firefighting stuff and running a coffee shop. And a'lot of my weekends are spent just drinking beer. :P

As a highly skilled and time served aircraft passenger, I respect Blancolirio because he honours, publishes and defines all the pilots I have ever sat behind

She had such a large social media presence. Such a shock to see her go.

RIP Juliana and condolences to her family, friends, and colleagues. Thanks, Juan.

As an 802 ag and fire pilot (not Fire Boss), I’ll tell you my observation on this event. The flight track indicates to me a concern of wind and turbulence just above the water and below the canyon walls. I believe a sudden loss of airspeed occurred in severe turbulence resulting in an inability to complete the turn onto the final scoop path. I have not seen weather data for that time and location, but know mountain winds in fire weather can easily exceed an aircraft’s limitations and a pilot’s ability to react or compensate. That’s one of the main reasons I’ll wheel land the 802 during fire weather and more often 3-point land in ag weather.

I used to ferry Turbine ATs. Up to the 5s. Something odd is that AT accidents have an incredible accident survival rate for Pilots. Even stalls that turn in at at extremely low altitude. The probable reason is the Banjo Tight Web Seat, Cranked 5 point harness and Crash Cage Structure plus Required Certified Helmet. Its possible that she survived the crash but could not get out. Bless Her Heart. Black Feather !!!!!!!!!

My heart and prayers of comfort go out to her family and friends. So sorry to hear of this loss.

As a former shipwright, I can attest to the value of baffles. Sloshing liquid is a catastrophe waiting to happen. It must be minimalized.

I knew THOR who went down in a SEAT in Colorado a few years ago. Winds caught him and pushed him down into the terrain. Dangerous is right.

A free surface effect, sinks boats in some cases, airplanes are much more tender. She didn't even get the chance to pickle the load. This is a total bummer.

RIP to the pilot and condolences to her family and friends. Always a bad day to lose a fellow pilot.

Sympathies to the family and friends of Juliana. It's not lost on me that this loss occurred a mere 17 miles upriver from the 1949 Mann Gulch Fire tragedy. Juan commits a number of mistakes... Firstly, the entire SEAT program is under the contracting and control of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), not the US Forest Service (USFS). Secondly, I seriously doubt the tanks are not baffled. The FAA requires baffled tanks for crop dusters in similar air frames. Thirdly, what about fuel and range? It's a long haul from C'dA, ID to Helena, MT. As for why Juliana went water skimming on the 600' wide "narrows" instead of the upriver lake is only for speculation. Maybe the Air Tactical Group Supervisor directed her to do that? This potentially raises the unspoken issue with all water skimming Fixed Wing aircraft. Scooping fixed wing aircraft, of all types, cannot be effective in initial and extended attack when surface vessels are on the water. Face it, many of those recreational boaters/fishermen are either rude, selfish or inebriated. Being a 30-year career wildland firefighter please don't ask me how I know. No problem for water dipping helicopters. The insanely powerful rotor wash will blast the selfish away.

RIP Juliana. May your skies be smooth and beautiful forever after. 🍺😟

Thank you for sharing Juan, 🙏❤️😔🕊️

Fire fighting in an Air Tractor is insanely difficult.

Such a shame. So sad. Condolences to her family and friends.

As a 4th generation Montanan, local pilot, and frequent fisherman less than an hour from that very location that is a TIGHT and dynamic area (especially when Canyon Ferry is only a couple miles away.....) I'm very confused with their choice of pick up location with other options so very close too.... either way... RIP its a sad day... Lets also not forget the extreme heat and the DA for that area.....

Juliana was our friend. She contributed a clip for my music video. God rest her soul.

Sending prayers for the family 🙏

3:18 The challenging conditions Juan mentions makes me wonder why she didn't use the larger bodies of water showen to the right and left.

May she rest in peace and may God comfort her family and coworkers.

Maybe there's more complexity to it, but that whole process seems incredibly dangerous and designed in such a way as to maximize the threat in all possible ways.

Seems every season we lose one or two fire pilots. It's a dangerous job. Respect and gratitude to those willing to accept the mission.

Very sad that this pilot lost her life in the performance of her duty. Thanks for explaining things, Juan. Condolences to her family.

Thanks to firefighters and support service workers for their often dangerous, difficult, and under-appreciated services. Rest in peace. Prayers for her family, friends, and colleagues.

R.I.P. fire fighters pilots have such a demanding and dangerous job. Condolences to her family and all who knew her any worked with her.

802’s are flown all over the world for ag spraying. I’ve never heard an ag pilot complain about sloshing and lord knows they do some pretty amazing maneuvering.

Thank you for explaining some of the challenges of flying fire fighting aircraft. This is a tragic accident, and Juliana must have been a very special person loved by so many.

She was just recently carded in April and this crash happened while she was going for her first load. I have to wonder if she had any practice in the few months between carding and this crash. Flying is a perishable skill, and especially with this level demanding flying. Truly a tragic loss.

It’s always a shame to lose a pilot in the service of saving others. The pictures are usually the same, a grin from ear to ear while in or on the airplane.

them 802's are bad ass with floats and you dont expect them to be as big as they are when you see one in person and that huge 5 blade prop i remember seeing the 502s all the time for work and when the guy brough in the 802 i was like wow thats amazing it was a fire bomber also

Dang, sorry to hear this. Love watching the videos of them picking up and dropping. As a high school kid growing up on Catalina Island I had a summer/after school job working as a ramper for the local airlines. We had a number of Grumman Goose and various helicopters. The Goose pilots were mostly all WWII vets. Even with their experience, we had a couple catch a pontoon and cartwheel. One of the 'older kids' grew up and started a company called Airborne Fire Attack, with a PBY called California Water Bomber. He crashed back in 97, luckily he and his copilot survived. A very dangerous business and my hat's off to everybody involved.

This happened in my backyard. I'm glad you are covering this

I knew Juliana since 2014. We both met and shared the same airstrips while flying in cropdusting in Brazil. Have no words to say how big her heart was. She was a sister to me. She sended gifts to me from USA with a kind handwritten notes wishing me safe flights. Cannot describe the pain of her loss. Love you, my dearest friend. Hope you are in safe heavens now.

Looking at the steep terrain, my first question would be the local wind and how it would be influenced by the terrain.

Sad when such a charitable person (man or woman) loses their life helping others.

I am from Helena, MT (right near this fire) and she is regarded as a hero in our town. We will never forget her sacrifice.

Very sad for this brave pilot who flys to help others in regard to firefighting

Thank you Juan. So sad. My condolences to her, her family & friends & community. 🙏

The AT802 looks like an outstanding, very specialized concept but the innovations substantially increased pilot demands for safe operation. Very tragic loss. Thank you for the prompt summary, Juan.

What a wild and thankless job. I filled tankers including SEAT's one summer, some of the stories the pilots had we're unreal. And some were flying aircraft from the 40's and 50's, they're nuts.

Juan, been watching your videos for a long time and always appreciate your input and attention to details in your videos. My parents live a few miles up the lake from where she crashed, my only piece of info I have to add is where you measured the lake is much farther up river. Based on the picture in your title frame the crash happened down river where the lake is much wider and there is no steep terrain to either side. The winds were very gusty that afternoon out of the north west and can create pretty big waves over that section of lake. Thanks again for your review and I look forward to your video on the preliminary report. Best, Rick

Sad to loose such an experienced pilot and fire fighter...RIP No one will ever know why this accident happened. Thx Juan

When I'm in CDA during the summer, I sometimes stop by Pappy Boyington field to watch the Fire Bosses and other tankers flying in and out. When the Fire Bosses are picking up water from Spirit Lake, my house is their IP.

Sad news JB. May she Rest in Peace. Thanks for your time and resources. Fly safe. 🤟🏼🖖🏼🙏🏼

Big thanks to the fire fighting community. Bless up❤

Thanks for the report Juan. A tragic loss.

I live in Helena and I knew I'd see a video from you about this. People here are pretty gutted about it. RIP.

From insiders at Dauntless Air she was set up for failure and did not meet the requirements for mountain flying or ag time along with other training put on the wayside (this was the same reason for another pilot being turned down for the same flight). During the scoop #1 radio'd that there was a tailwind, higher speed on the floats, a sheer cliff off the end, and before impact death-grip on the controls popped smoke. I would recommend following this story and the name Jess Weaver. This comes as an experienced fire boss pilot has crashed in OR while cutting through smoke to decrease time flying between two fires. There is an epidemic in the fire community where leadership are choosing to expedite pilots who are unfamiliar with the type of flying or do not meet the standard. These decisions are costing lives during one of the worst fire seasons we have seen and certain people need to be held accountable.

RIP and thank you for serving our state! You will be greatly missed

Rest In Peace to her and condolences to her family. I can’t imagine their pain and loss they are dealing with.

Juan - Dam....great video, but so sad it took the life of a very talented Aviator to get scoop on it!! I'm still not Pilot, but seems to me that she was surprised by something, to get accident rolling. Whether it was loss of power, scoop mechanism anomaly, or just terrain change she wasn't expecting, something surprised her. Too bad.....RIP!!!

So sad. RIP

Having watched the McSpadden video, I assumed that was what happened when I heard about this incident. The report I saw said she impacted terrain, then went back into the water. Rest in peace, my sister, of the fire service.

Thanks Juan. One of the many things I get from your very informative posts is seeing what responders deal with in doing their job. (Whew, a long sentence indeed.)

I had the honor of flying with and getting to know Julianna this season. Not only was she an experienced pilot, she was also an amazing person. RIP friend.

Seems like a high risk low reward type of firefighting aircraft. I’m sure I’ll get hammered for saying this.

Our condolences to her family. Thank you Juan, keep working.

A tremendous loss. Condolences to the family and friends.

Condolences to her family. She died in service to others.

Very sad. Thanks for the update Juan.

Is there a reason that they are scooping water in the narrower portion of the river? I'm sure it just looks narrower but seems like the wider portion of the lake might give you a more comfortable feel of scooping but just a thought. The narrower is probably calmer? Sad sad sad regardless 😢😢😢 Prayers to the family.

Sorry to hear of the accident.

Anything on the 777 tail strike

R.I.P. Juliana

RIP Juliana! My question is, why can't baffles be incorporated in the water storage tanks? The current design is adding exponential risk to an already dangerous operation. We are smarter than this.

How tragic. Prayers for all involved.

I know very little about aerial fire fighting but why not go to the main part of the lake where it's much larger? Very Sad. Sorry for your loss all and RIP Julianna

In the video I couldn't see a breathing system. Commonly in the rotary wing world they wear a HEED Helicopter Emergency Egress Device (that's a brand name). They're also sold in the SCUBA diving world as the "Spare Air". I'm surprised that they wouldn't be worn for these ops.

Being a 777 pilot, you should talk about the Latam tail strike

May she rest in peace. She did such a service for our country.

Rest in Peace. Thank you for serving the community 😢

Sad news, RB, Nova Scotia, thank you for your report.😊

Hey Juan, will you cover the SV-792 incident? I’m interested in knowing what happened there as most articles aren’t clear

Not having any baffles in the tanks is nuts.

Dangerous job for sure. Thoughts and prayers to the family.

Condolences to her family. That was an interesting clip of the demonstration

Winds were insane, too. Early the next morning (here in Powder River County), a powerful gust front hit, hot and smokey, that raised the temperature from 61 to 80 in 10 minutes. Dang far east, I know but example of those days. I never saw that in 40 years and not dealing with lakes, canyons or rough water. Salute to all of those who fight to save others. Lived in Helena many years. Good analysis.

Vary sad indeed May she Rest.I.P and condolences to her family.🙏🙏😢🇦🇺

Terrible loss of a brave and desperately needed pilot, and I'm sure a good person if she choose to be in this profession. I've watched that video with Richard and it was amazing how tricky that loading seemed to be. However, the Fire Boss is an amazing machine that is unequaled in it's ability to combat these fires.

The air tankers fly over the house all summer here in Hayden Lake, ID God Bless her Family, RIP

We had an Air Tractor crash near here in New Brunswick a few years back (Juan covered it briefly), it showed how incredibly tough the structure of those planes is. Unfortunately water crashes add that extra risk.

That fire is still raging and the plume is covering the entire Southwest portion of Montana.