Aero Union Corp.'s P-3 Orions pass safety inspections, will return to government contracts

Five P-3 Orion air tankers that had recently been grounded have passed FAA inspections and will return to flight status on Monday. The five aircraft are owned by Aero Union Corp. and were among the total of 33 aircraft that were grounded in May due to airworthiness concerns. 

The Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management had canceled $30 million in contracts for the use of the air tankers at that time. According to spokespersons for the two agencies, the contracts were cancelled after concerns arose following the in-flight breakup of two other aging tankers in 2002. Those accidents killed five people.

Since then, lawmakers and governors in Western states has put pressure on federal officials to reconsider their decisions, citing the importance of the aircraft to their firefighting efforts.

Interior Secretary Gale Norton, as well as other officials, stated that after working with the FAA and a private contractor hired to inspect the aircraft, there was renewed confidence that the Orions were indeed airworthy and could be returned to service. No decisions have been made as to where the aircraft will be deployed.

Other air tankers owned by DynCorp Technical Services may also be returned to service soon once the contractor finishes inspecting them and completes reports on their findings. In the absence of the large tankers, a fleet of smaller aircraft and helicopters has been reconfigured and put to work at various fire sites with success, according to Mark Rey, US Dept of Agriculture UnderSecretary for forest policy.

FMI: www.blm.gov, www.fs.fed.us, www.faa.gov, www.aerounion.com