Fire Boss AT802 Airtanker Crash Helena Montana 10 July 2024

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.

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.

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

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.

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!

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.

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

@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.

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

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. :^(

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

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

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

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