Battling a Blaze, a Fire Fighting Plane Nearly Crashes into a Mountain

A pilot flying a BA 146 firefighting plane nearly crashed into a mountain last month as he was focusing on his target: the fire. Wildfires can rage on for days and weeks at a time, so long as they have fuel, oxygen, and heat. 

Receiving a backlash of comments criticizing his flying skills, this pilot was, in fact, a very talented one, according to a colleague commenting on Reddit.

The mere fact that he did not crash and that you can see the dust from the earth dispersing as he pushes the throttle upwards, just missing the ridge of the mountain is a mean feat of flying.

The firefighter pilot was focusing his aim at a wildfire, releasing a big puff of bright red retardant onto the fire as we can see clearly in the video. This red substance is a chemical retardant, which is made up of phosphate fertilizer, which is what helps to slow down the fires.

The pilot has since admitted to focusing solely on the target, and making a bad judgment call — just a few seconds too late — but that can be enough for a catastrophe to occur. 

Luckily, no one was injured, except the pilot's pride perhaps, and the pilot cleared the mountain with just inches to spare.